Deliver Me From Leah
by BlacknCallwaterfan
Summary: Both Leah and Jake have BIG secrets. More important Leah took something away that belonged to Jake long ago and now that he might see her again he wants to level the score, but will he win or will something else bigger than the both of them get in the way
1. Ch1:The Evil One

**Disclaimer:SM owns Twilight**

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><p><strong>Ch1:The Evil One<strong>

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod. Oh. My. _God!_ Harder. Harder. Harder!"

Leah Clearwater strode toward the master bedroom of her condo with her eyes and mouth wide open. She had a love and hate relationship with how good her ear shot range was. It always picked up the strangest things but now…

There was no way could possibly be hearing what she thought she was hearing.

Not in her house.

Not in her bedroom.

No damn way was this happening to her after the day she had just had at work!

But the squeaking of the bedsprings and the bang of the headboard didn't lie.

Paul was cheating on her…

That lowlife had another woman in her bedroom in her bed! And he had better be thankful that she had taken an oath not to phase and that she didn't own a firearm. The old motto that protected babies and fools was obviously true, because if she had a gun… heaven help the chump! And if she had decided to phase after her full year of being hairy free he would have probably ran screaming to the police. Not that they would believe him but still… the bastard!

At one time not all that long ago, Leah's job had been all-important to her. She had known that she was damn good at it. As an executive in the corporate finance department of the huge media firm Mainstay, she was well known all across Washington for her business insight, knowledge and cut throat style of getting business done. She had style and talent for the business that made money appear with such ease that people had hardly realized that money was moving.

Now, however, her new passive aggressive, anal-retentive division leader, Samuel Uley, barely gave her breathing room, and the workplace had become a hostile environment.

Her new division leader had graduated from Seattle Pacific University, as she had, and she tried on several occasions to build a better working relationship with the excruciating man. But he wouldn't budge, and she was starting to think that she might need to start beating the pavement, looking for another position.

She'd had hopes of moving up the corporate ladder. She had hoped to try her hand at corporate development so that she could work in mergers and acquisitions and really make deals, not just get the money to make the deals happen. She had thought she was a shoo-in to get the division leader position in the corporate development department when it opened up. But she had no such luck.

The promotion should have been hers. It would have gotten her away from the division leader from hell and in charge of her own department. Instead, she had just found out, it was going to some meddler who was more than likely a friend of Sam "The Evil One"—as she had grown fond of calling him—Uley.

Home sweet home was usually her space of refuge, a place to wind down and relax. But now she had come home after a particularly hard day at work to find her nice, quiet, nerdy, handpicked-because-he-would-_never_-hurt her boyfriend Paul in the bed with another woman.

_Can a girl freaking catch a break? Seriously!_

He was supposed to be waiting for her so that they could both revel about the advancement she had thought was hers when she came back from celebrating after with her girls. Thirty year old Leah, who looked no older than twenty five because of phasing in the past, had just given the cheater a key to her place after a year and a half of being a couple. It seemed like the logical next step, since her living-a-normal-life clock was ticking loudly. It was starting to sound like a hurricane warning tone on full blast. And he had seemed like the perfect candidate for a future husband.

Nice.

Safe.

Sweet.

Not too bad on the eyes.

Even if he did have an anger problem that was easy to ignore when Leah had a slight anger issue herself. Okay, maybe his anger problem was worse seeing as he was completely human and she wasn't… but he was sweet… definitely sweet…

And he wasn't supposed to hurt her like this!

She took a few deep breaths as she reached the door shakily.

_Whatever you do. Don't phase. Do. Not. Phase. Leah._

His cheating just proved her original beliefs, the ones she had almost all her life… _No man is safe when it comes to matters of the heart._

_The only person who can protect your heart is you._

_It's better not to fall in love. Ever._

She had decided a long time ago that she would never get caught slipping and falling in love. But she did have deep feelings for Paul, the kind of companionship they could have built a nice, strong, sturdy lifetime on.

She was certain that if she was really in love with Paul, the lying, cheating, bumping another woman in her bed jerk, she wouldn't be able to open the door and calmly do what needed to be done. And if he was to have been her imprint… so help the girl he slept with.

That was why love was a problem. If she loved him she might have thought twice about kicking his untrustworthy behind to the curb!

She opened the door and saw exactly what she thought she would see. Paul was screwing some floozy.

She slammed the door behind her and cleared her throat. She had to remain calm but her vibrating body wasn't allowing her to do that, so she took to thinking about her happy place as she watched the startled lovers break apart, each grabbing for the cover.

Leah frowned because she had purchased those 500-count ecru Egyptian cotton sheets just a few weeks ago and now she would have to burn them or a least throw them in the trash. Because there was no way in hell she would ever sleep on them again. She glanced around at her recently remodeled—so it wouldn't look so girlish and make the cheating boyfriend she had just given a key to uncomfortable—bedroom. Everything from the auburn duvet to the ecru sheets would have to go.

"Sorry to interrupt," Leah sneered showing more teeth than lip before she took a breath and continued, "but since this is _my _bedroom in _my _condo and all… I would appreciate it if you both get your nasty asses out. Now!" Leah almost took to growling as she pointed toward the door with her hand. She could smell the fear the two were giving off and it was quite potent even over the lingering smell of sex.

Paul went to grab something off the dresser and the sheet dropped. The woman pulled more of the sheet over herself, and Leah wondered when they were going to get their nasty asses off of her platform bed.

Ew. Just. Ew. Would she have to get a new bed too?"

She rolled her eyes as Paul struggled with the woman for the sheet and tried to explain himself at the same time.

"Baby, I can explain… she means nothing to me… it was just a one night thing… She's been throwing herself at me for months… I'm just… Baby please..." Paul's words started to jumble together as he flew from the bed and pulled on his boxers.

Once the other woman resigned herself to getting out of the bed, she at least had the good taste to get dressed quietly and quickly. Leah did notice that the woman cut Paul more than a few nasty looks while he was rambling out his explanations and apologies.

The woman was average looking if you liked short, slim model types, big doe eyes and layered haircuts. Once clothed, she wore a rather nice purple pantsuit and killer matching shoes. Leah had to give it to her she picked some awesome looking shoes. That helped her stay calm for a few minutes.

The woman walked over to the bedroom door where Leah was firmly posted. With her arms folded over her chest to hide the fact that her hands were shaking extremely bad Leah gave the woman a once over. With on scathing look she dared her to say anything that would push her over the edge. She was close, so very close.

The woman took a deep breath and bit her lip.

Leah arched an eyebrow.

"Look. I don't want any trouble. He distorted his situation to me. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry for my part in this. I would just like to leave now. I didn't mean you any harm, Leah." She turned to Paul and spat out. "You're a jerk."

Surprised that the woman knew her name, Leah gave her a more thorough once over. She realized she knew the woman. She was the lobby receptionist in the office building that both she and Paul worked in.

The accounting firm that Paul worked for was on the ninth floor of the building and the company Leah worked for was on the fifteenth floor. Leah couldn't help rolling her eyes then.

Why hadn't she thought of, if Paul and she had initially hooked up by meeting in the elevator of that building, then why not Paul and the lobby girl?

With so many other companies and employees located in the high rise office building, who really knew how many other women this guy had been with or was still sleeping with?

As if he could hear her thoughts out loud Paul began pleading his case all over again. "This was the first time. I have never… I would never, ever, do something like this to you. You have to believe me. I love you… I just started to get cold feet, that's all… moving in together and all… it's a big step…"

Both Leah and the lobby woman grimaced at the same time.

Leah stared at the woman again.

_Bella!_

Her name was Bella. Leah now remembered that she had always thought that Bella's smiles and greets were a bit false whenever the woman would say hello as she signed into the building in the morning.

Now she knew why.

Leah stepped aside and let Bella leave. Hearing the front door close, Leah turned her attention back to the cheater.

Paul's usual toasted cinnamon complexion was looking almost ruby red. He ran his hand across his close cropped hair several times. He always did that when he was thinking. Leah was just glad she didn't have to smell the fear coming off him any longer, it wasn't a pleasant smell. She wondered if he was trying to come up with some sort of lie.

"I love you Leah, you have to know that…" Paul stated. "I thought you were going out with your girls for happy hour?"

The mention of her canceled girls night out celebration focused her attention on yet another reason why this had to be the worst night ever. After finding out that she had been passed over for the promotion, she had called her two best friends to cancel their impromptu celebration. She had felt like curling up on the sofa with some Chunky Monkey ice cream, her favorite boy shorts and SPU T-shirt, maybe a blanket if she didn't feel too hot and her boyfriend, feeling sorry for herself.

_That shouldn't have been that hard to ask for. _

Instead, she came home to her boyfriend in her bed with another woman.

Paul reached out and touched her shoulder, trying to pull her closer to him.

"Uh-uh. No. don't you ever touch me again! And I want you out of my condo. Give me your key and get the hell out. Take anything of yours here because you will never back!" She turned and walked out of the master bedroom.

She couldn't stay in the condo tonight. Finding him in her bed with another woman had left her feeling almost violated. He had tarnished the sacred space of her home. She had to get out of there. At least until the smell was completely gone. Leah wondered how long that would take.

He followed her with his pants half-zipped. Leah bit back a laugh.

_Ironic._

"Baby, please don't do this. Please don't go. Where are you going? Are you going to your brother's place?"

"That's irrelevant. Give me my keys and get the fuck out." She hissed out her words with all the venom she felt for him. Her practice with not phasing was finally paying off since she was still in her human form even though she was livid.

"I don't want to go I want to work this out. Can't we work this out?" He gave her a pleading look and a nervous grin. "I made a mistake. But if you love me we can get past this."

_If _she loved him?

She cared about him deeply. She had committed herself to building a life with him because he was supposed to be a safe bet. But she didn't love him in that way that always landed women in trouble unless they existed in some make believe romance novel or chick flick where everything always turned out perfectly and everyone always lived happily ever after. That might have only happened if she imprinted and it had been over ten years since she first changed, so the whole idea of imprinting was a no go with Leah.

That was why she had thought she would be safe. She knew enough not to believe that fairy tales existed in the real world. That's why she'd picked Paul. He wasn't the fairy tale type, far from it. But he was her shot at a nice, secure, hot and somewhat happily ever after life.

Was this her fault for settling into a relationship she thought was safe?

She shook her head.

_Nope._

This wasn't her fault.

It was his sorry, no good, two timing fault. She went to her closet and started packing a bag. Since the day she had promised herself to no longer phase she had been a nonviolent, peaceful person. But she had to get out of there before she broke her promise.

Paul reached out and touched her shoulder. She turned and glared at him, giving her eyes just enough squint to show that she meant business. The fear spiked and the irritating smell came back.

"If you want to keep that hand you might want to get it off me. And get the fuck out." She spoke through clenched teeth as she counted to ten in her head.

_Woosah….Woosah_

He pulled his arm back quickly as if he had been shocked and she continued packing in silence.

She had no idea where she was going to go. She just knew she had to get the hell out of there. She thought about going to her brother, Seth's house. But then she'd have to put up with her younger brother feeling like he had to fix things for her with his fists since he no longer phased anymore. And he would probably tell his imprint/wife, Keilani, who would probably make it her business to kick Paul's butt personally even though she was a tiny little thing.

And if she thought to go to her mother's house then she would put a hurting on Paul worse than anything Keilani and Seth could ever do. Even in her day and age, Sue wasn't anyone to mess with and she didn't tolerate people messing over her kids, regardless if they both could defend themselves.

No, it was best that she go to a hotel for the night. Yes, a luxury hotel with lots of amenities and a top of the line snack bar to raid would be the perfect place her to lick her wounds. She would pamper herself for the night, or maybe the weekend, and come back as good as new to her now defiled condo. She would then be ready to have her bleach party for one where she would spend hours cleaning every inch of the room. And she definitely needed to buy some new sheets and a new duvet on the way home from the hotel.

_I can do it, _she told herself.

She pulled up the handle on her small rolling suitcase, cut a sneer at the now sniveling idiot sitting on her bed and walked over to him with her hand out.

"Key please."

He reached in his pants pocket and took her key off his key ring.

"Finish getting dressed and get to stepping."

She watched as he slowly finished dressing, then walked him to the door, barely resisting the urge to kick in him in his backside as he exited her condo. That would definitely probably end up killing him she thought.

She waited for him to be good and gone before she exited, too. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she was getting the hell out of there.

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><p>Jacob "The Wolf" Black took a sip of his drink after toasting to the good old days and brand new beginning with his college buddy Samuel Uley. Jacob's taking the job as the head of the corporate development division at Mainstay Media where Sam was the head of the finance department was the reason for their little happy hour celebration.<p>

He was actually thirty three years old but he was frozen forever looking twenty six until the moment he chose to stop phasing. Jacob had more than a name for himself in the business world. Jacob had made his former employer lots of money by relying on his keen kill-or-be-killed instincts. His instincts helped him in his personal life as well, especially in his relationships with the opposite sex. His law-of the-forest approach to dealing with the selfish, money-grabbing women he had become used to; reinforced his nickname of "The Wolf," in the bedroom, the boardroom and whenever he phased as well. No one ever saw that side of him though. No one expected "the wolf," to actually turn into one physically. It was a secret that only his family and one other person knew. And he wanted to keep it that way.

But in the boardroom, his former superiors had started to second guess him and question his actions in unproductive ways. Jacob refused to be stifled. So he landed a sweet new position based on a top from his college buddy, Sam Uley. He planned to start the new job as soon as he took a trip to Blake Island, the island he had been born on and the place he still called home.

His narrow focus on work and only work had caused him to miss the chance to be at his grandmother's bedside when she had passed away. He felt more than a little guilty about missing her passing and missing the chance to tell her how much she meant to him. He planned to use the trip home to reevaluate his priorities and reconnect with what was important. He wouldn't let work keep him away from the rest of his relatives, especially his mother Sarah.

The job at Mainstay was slightly different from Jacob's former job. He would still be in charge of mergers and acquisitions. However, the "corporate raider" aspect of his former job would be missing. He would be more hands on in development instead of swooping in and gobbling up struggling companies so that they could be taken apart and sold off piece by piece. He would be building things now.

"You're going to love it at Mainstay, Black." Sam slapped him on the back and let out a chuckled.

Sam hadn't changed all that much in the years since college. He was tall and somewhat lanky. He had what some would call a swimmer's build. His formerly thick, wavy hair was now making a slow creep away from his forehead, but he hadn't gone the shave it all off route that most men went when faced with balding. He had a weird comb it all to the front thing going on that really did nothing to hide the fact that he was going bald. His eyes were still sharp and focused and didn't give anything away about the man behind them.

"And I'm going to love the fact that everyone knows I was influential in bringing you to Mainstay. It gave me major points with the boss, and as long as you do your thing the way you've done it in your previous job. I'm sure we'll both be moving on up to the vice president slots soon."

Jacob's eyes narrowed a little. He wasn't sure how he felt about Sam grouping their possible future promotions together like that. He had always been a man who went by his own merit, played by his own rules and made his own way. When he had pledged Omega as an undergraduate, he had earned the line name "The Lone Wolf" because he pledged solo with no line brothers, just himself. He had been the only boy born to his mother. Since his sisters were far older than him and off in their own world Jacob always felt like an only child. He always had been and always would be his own man.

He hadn't needed Sam to get the job, and he certainly wasn't going to allow Sam to ride his coattails to a promotion. Sam telling him about the position was not equivalent to his hard work and preparation giving him the experience and tools he needed to get hired into the position. He didn't like at all what Sam was implying.

But rather than spoil the celebratory mood, Jacob made a mental note to watch Sam. Watch him very closely.

"It'll be great man. Just like the old times when we ran the student government at SPU," Sam added.

Jacob frowned. "I'm looking forward to the new job and developing my strengths in other areas. The change will be nice, and it will keep me sharp, help me keep my edge."

"There aren't many men sharper than you, Black, that's for sure. Aside from that unfortunate election for president of the student government back at SPU, you've pretty much achieved everything you went after." Sam chuckled.

Jacob felt the veins in his neck pulse just a little as he arched his left eyebrow. Sam was lucky that Jacob was good at keeping his composure or he would have seen a whole new view of "The Wolf."

Sam laughed. "Hey, we all have to lose sometimes. You'd been on top all through undergrad. And you're making big moves all throughout the business world now. Who cares about something as small as the student government race from our undergraduate days? Although…" Sam opened his mouth and closed it.

Jacob's nostrils flared. Now he knew Sam was trying to start something with him. Everyone who knew him back in college and still had the privilege of being in his inner circle of associates knew he did _not _talk about the student government association election that took place at the end of his junior year.

_Ever._

It wasn't just that he had lost the election.

It was so much more than that.

_So. Much. Fucking. More._

It was personal, very personal. And he didn't like anyone bringing it up.

Rather than tell off an old friend he was now going to have to work with, Jacob opted to change the subject. "So, Sam what can you tell me about Mainstay the day to day work environment?"

"Oh. I'm sure you'll find it interesting." Sam took a swig of his beer. "With the two of us there now, having each other's back, it will be a lot like old time. A _lot _like old times…"

Jacob took note to how he said that, something else to store in the back of his head. "Our college days are over. We're grown men now. Those days are long behind us." Jacob heard the slight edge in his own voice and wondered yet again if he was doing the wrong thing by joining a company where his old friend was also employed. Everything was already complicated enough without bringing in the extra drama or building alliances before he even got a chance to learn the lay of the land.

Friend or no friend, Jacob wasn't about to let Sam pull him into any mess. "Well, I'm quick to study. I'm sure I'll be able to assess the situation once I start in two weeks."

"Must be nice to be able to vacation." Sam said with a smirk.

Jacob paused because he knew he detected a slight shade of snide and a small dose of snark in Sam's voice.

"I haven't taken a proper vacation in so many years I almost don't remember what a vacation is, and I haven't been home to Blake for a visit in so long my mother has threatened on a number of occasions to disown me and find herself another son. I think two weeks on my home island is just what I need before starting a new job with a whole new set of demands."

Sam rolled his eyes. "I'll hold down the fort until you come on board. Once you're there, I'll fill you in on all the dirt and all the stuff you _really _need to know. But for now, it's good to be working with you again my friend."

Jacob simply nodded noting everything that had happened during the drink with Sam. He hoped that he wouldn't walk into Mainstay in two weeks to find that he made a huge mistake by taking this job offer instead of one of the countless others that had been offered to him when the business world got wind that The Wolf was ready to make a move.

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><p><strong>Soooo I'm only having Jacob and Leah in this story as their wolfy self... <strong>

**and so far everyone else is plain old human except Seth who stopped phasing**

**As always everything will be explained soon.. **

**Jake wasn't born in La Push if you missed that small tidbit.  
><strong>

**But there is a reason for why things are the way they are now.**

**I'm playing around with everything**

**since I want nothing to do with Jake following around Bella's ass the whole story she was merely a casualty in my little game haha.**

**She may be back though.  
><strong>

**And the only reason I used Paul instead of Sam as the cheater because I have other plans for our Sammy lol **

**Any guesses or questions Review or PM me!**

**xoxo**


	2. Ch2:Fate Couldn't Be So Unkind

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight**

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><p><strong>Ch2:Fate Couldn't Be So Unkind<strong>

Leah placed the pillow over her head and tried to block out the noise. Someone kept playing the same six bars of a song over and over again. It was driving her insane but she refused to find out where it was coming from. Once she moved the pillow throwing it on the floor in frustration, it took her a few minutes to realize that it was her cell phone's ring tone that was disturbing her sleep. Leah was a light sleeper due to her great hearing that usually meant she kept her cell phone on silent she had no idea why it was on the loudest volume now.

She was at the Holiday Inn by Seattle-Tacoma International Airport because that was the only hotel with a vacancy. The upcoming holiday and some teachers' convention had the other local hotels filled to capacity.

The singer's voice and the song that _used _to be one of her favorites blared out again and Leah grabbed the phone not bothering to sit up. She already knew she wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon. If it was the cheating, no-good Paul, she was going to lose the little patience she had left and give him the verbal blasting he so richly deserved.

"What?" Leah snapped.

"Well, hello and morning to you too sis." Leah sat up at the sound of her younger brother's voice.

He was the only guy she felt she could trust. He would never turn on her. They literally made sacrifice after sacrifice to look after one another being the only few to protect their tribe against estrange vampires. Leah and Seth's father had passed some time before that due to health problems. That didn't deter Sue Clearwater at all in fact it made her more determined to help her children keep their secret as much as she could. Sue still didn't understand everything because she had never turned into a wolf herself but she tried to understand and Leah loved her mother dearly for that.

But at the end of the day her brother was always there for her.

Although Seth Clearwater would be the last person to expect any kind of gratitude for the things he had done to help Leah through the years, Leah felt the weight of her indebtedness to her brother. She would never be able to repay Seth for all that he had done for her.

However… all the appreciation didn't take away from the fact that it was super early on a Saturday morning and all Leah wanted to do was sleep.

"Morning, Peanut." She called her little brother by his family nickname still, and she was probably the only person in the world Seth allowed to do so, besides his imprint. "Can I call you back at a decent hour, say noon or so?" Leah flopped back down on the bed and curled into the fluffy down comforter.

"Sorry, no can do. Mom and I have been calling you all morning. We were worried sick about you. Ma said she called your condo number numerous of times. I finally found Paul's number and called him. He wasn't answering. Then I called his cell after I didn't get an answer to your cell. He said you broke up with him. He sounds horrible, by the way, really distraught. But you must have a good reason for breaking up with him, and I would never tell you to second guess yourself. But do you want to talk about it at all? What happened? Why did the two of you break up so suddenly?"

"She should have left that guy a long time ago! I never liked him. She should let me introduce her to someone worthy." Keilani's voice could be heard in the background. She must have been sitting, or, knowing the two of them, lying down in the bed right next to Seth.

Seth hushed her.

Leah stretched out her legs and curled them back up. "Tell my darling sister-in-law that, although I love her to death, the I-love-me-some-alpha-jerk-reformed-playboys gene skipped me. I can't fathom having anything in common with _anyone _she would introduce me to."

Seth echoed Leah word for word, and Keilani could be heard mumbling that Leah had bad taste in men. Then there came giggling from Keilani, and Leah didn't even want to think what her brother must have been doing to her sister in law to warrant all those girlish giggles. It was TMI and too dang early in the morning.

"That's cold sis in law! I thought we were better than that," Keilani joked in the background.

"Smooches," Leah made a kissing sound. "now, if that's all, I really—"

"Oh, no, that's not all. Mom and I have been thinking of what we can do to lift your spirits since you just lost that promotion… and now with everything that is going on with Paul… You still haven't told me exactly what happened by the way…" Seth let his words hang suggestively.

_And I'm not going to, at least not yet._

"Neither of which would be a problem if she would just come and work for Harrington Enterprise and let me hook her up with a real guy instead of the wannabes she keeps dating." Keilani added her two cents, clearly getting Leah back for her previous dig.

"Kei!" Seth let out an exasperated sigh.

Leah laughed. Even if she really thought she had hurt her sister-in-law's feelings with her comment about the alpha-jerk-reformed-playboys, she still would have laughed. Because Seth's rich, stunningly gorgeous control freak imprint like her needed to be taken down a peg whenever possible, and her brother was too crazy in love to do a proper job of it.

She knew she could have easily taken a job at her sister-in-law's company, Harrington Enterprise. But she was serious about making a mark on her own. She had her family to thank for all the sacrifices they had made to ensure that Leah became the woman that she was. But she drew the line at favoritism and relying on family connections to get ahead in the business world.

"Anyway sis, mom and I figured all you girls could take a little shopping trip to California. We haven't been to the penthouse there in forever and the kids might even get to see some snow. You have the week off from work. It would be great."

"Huh?"

"Thanksgiving in California. A parade. Kids happy. Your mind off the stress in your life, _shopping_ the Friday after Thanksgiving… in _California_…" Seth let his words trail in an enticing manner.

Leah thought about it. She truly loved her niece and nephews. Seth II was eleven and Harry was eight. They looked like their mother but had their father's calm and loving personality. Her little niece, Evelyn "Evie" Clearwater, was the spitting image of Seth, but she had Keilani's over-the-top, sometimes overbearing personality. Leah sometimes called her little niece the five-year—old terror. But she loved those kids. She loved the family her brother had been able to create. Because she knew she probably would never be able to have one of her own since her period no longer came. Phasing solved that problem.

She really wasn't in the holiday spirit. She would have been a killjoy for everyone. It was best if she stayed behind.

"No. You all can go without me. I'm not going." Leah sat up.

She had pretty much decided that she was going to spend the week away from people she knew. She had to do some self-reflection. Maybe a little wallowing in self-pity—just a little…

Then she would pick herself up and put the pieces back together again.

All she needed to do was spend the week digging into her psyche and keeping herself calm and she would be fine. She was her mother's child, after all, and that side of the family didn't believe in paying for therapy when a little tough love and keeping her well-guarded secret were way more important. Paul's betrayal had thrown her off track, but she could fix this and she would be as good as new.

"I'm sorry Peanut, but I'm not going to spend Thanksgiving with the family this year. I'm not going to Big bear in California."

"Now, sis, you know we have to celebrate Thanksgiving as a family. Mom is getting up there in years, and who knows how much longer we will have her around to celebrate the holidays with? We should be there with her if nothing else."

"Sorry, I have to pass this time Peanut. With everything that happened since yesterday, I really can't be around people right now. I love you and mom, but I need you guys to respect my wishes on this one…"

"Aww, come on, sis… Please consider it…" Seth's pleading voice was almost enough to make Leah reconsider.

After the passing of their father it made Seth re-evaluate life and how much he took their family for granted. So now every chance he could he was always big on getting the family together. Usually, Leah was willing to indulge her younger brother because she almost always gave into him. But she just couldn't work up the energy it would take to not be a drain on the family's holiday celebration.

"I'll have to pass baby bro. I'm boycotting Thanksgiving this year." Leah put her hand over her eyes for a second.

Leah could hear Keilani taking the phone from Seth, "Why?"

"Should I celebrate my jerk of a boss that fixed it so that I wouldn't be promoted out of his division? Or maybe I should celebrate the cheating boyfriend that I found banging someone else in my bed?" Leah let out a low hiss of disgust.

"Oh Leah, I'm so sorry that happened to you sweetie. You don't deserve that. I really hate to channel your mom right now but you could be thankful that you're alive. And now you can go find you a good man."

_I am thankful for that. I just want a minute to myself to be in a funk. Is that too much to ask?_

Leah sighed. "I'm going to be out of the country anyway, so I can't go."

Seth must have taken the phone back out of Keilani's hands because he was speaking now. "Stop lying sis. Where would you be going the week of Thanksgiving?"

"I'm taking an island vacation for a week to have some me time and to get my groove back. Sorry, I can't do the family thing this year."

"Well, think about it before you just write it off. We'll be flying out on the jet Monday morning…" Seth's voice trailed off. "Why would you want to be on some island by yourself when you could be with your family? Are you sure traveling by yourself in your state of mind is a good idea?"

She could just hear what her brother was implying but she really didn't want to get into it. So she held back the snarl that wanted to come out as she said. "Yep, the best idea I've had in a long time. Tell mom I love you and I wish I could be there with you guys, but I just can't,"

"Okay…" Seth seemed to be searching for another argument that would compel Leah to say yes.

"Anyway, Peanut, now that I'm up I have _sooo_ many things to take care of before my trip. So many details…" _Like actually planning a trip and booking one… I'm going straight to hell for being a big ole liar_. "I think an island get away is just what I need right now." _Maybe an island fling really will help me get my groove back. And who knows I might even imprint. _"So I'll call you when I get back. I'll have you in my thoughts this week. You guys have a great Thanksgiving. Give my niece and nephews a big ole hug from Auntie Leah and tell them I'll see them when I get back."

"But—"

"Thanks Peanut! Love you Bye." Leah hung up the phone and turned it off.

She could have just stayed in the hotel and licked her wounds for the week. But the more she thought about a trip, the better it sounded. All she had to do now was make her fictional island getaway a reality.

* * *

><p>The following day Leah found herself getting set up in first class as she waited for the flight to take off. She had her iPod in her lap preparing to at least drown out some of the sounds of what the people surrounding her would make. Being in closed spaces made her wolf antsy but she didn't mind it knowing that it would be over within a few hours.<p>

"This must be my lucky day. If it isn't Leah Clearwater," came a deep, sexy and taunting male voice from above her.

Leah stared at the passenger waiting for her to move so that he could sit in the seat next to hers, and her heart stopped. She looked him up and down. Tall, russet brown, built like nobody's business with passionate, daring brown eyes and a mischievous dimpled smile—in a word, gorgeous. Looking exactly as she had remembered, down to the stupid smug smirk on his face.

_Jacob Black._

_It couldn't be. Fate isn't that unkind. The universe doesn't have that sick a sense of humor. _

If it didn't seem too totally melodramatic, she would have thrown her head to the sky and cried out, "Why?"

A weak half smile flickered across her face, and she knew it must have looked like a cross between a grimace and a sneer. Yet she couldn't force her lips to give up a full, bright but very false form of greeting to save her life. The shock of seeing _him _of all people seemed too much. He knew her secret and she knew his but that still did nothing to help the situation.

Shouldn't she have been able to smell him?

Inhaling for a slight second she realized why she didn't, all the other people surrounding her took over her senses because she wasn't paying attention. But now that she was fully alert and he was in front of her she wanted to slap herself in the face, his scent was unique, powerful and strong.

There was no way that Leah could endure a three and a half hour flight sitting next to her arch nemesis from college after finding out that she didn't get the promotion she'd wanted and finding her boyfriend in bed with another woman.

The timing of it all sucked. No way in hell was her biggest rival supposed to be a part of her get-away-from-it-all soul searching trip to Blake Island!

Granted, she probably should be on Keilani's private jet with Seth and mom headed for the family's Thanksgiving celebration in California instead of taking a solo island vacation and looking for a fling to help her get her groove back, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She only hoped that the family would understand that she had to get away. She needed some time alone to process and reevaluate everything in her life from her failed relationships to her obstructed work life. She refused to believe that she had really and truly peaked in college and there was nothing left for her to excel in.

Judging by the fact that she had ended up sitting next to Jacob Black—_The Wolf,_ as he had been called in college—the universe wasn't forgiving about her blowing off Thanksgiving with the family.

_The universe is soo freaking cruel!_

_Jacob Black. Seriously? What is Satan or a vampire too busy to sit next to me on a plane to Blake Island? _That was the only thing she could think of that would be worse than Jacob, the devil himself. Or a vampire. She couldn't choose between the two.

She never thought she would see him in person again. Oh, she couldn't help seeing him in print. From the business pages to the society pages, The Wolf was kind of a media whore being well known for corporate takeovers, media fodder, love them and leave them. You name it, he did it. And the press wrote about it. As far as she could tell, she was the only person in the world who could actually say that she had beaten the kid at his own game.

That small victory had cost her a piece of her heart.

_Shouldn't have sprung for the first class ticket, _she thought as she eyed him wearily. _The Wolf wouldn't be caught dead in coach!_

Leah got up and let Jake get into his window seat. While standing, she glanced toward the back of the plane.

Packed.

Full.

No damn chance of changing seats.

_Well damn._

She sat back down and fastened her seat belt, mentally preparing herself for what could only be a very long flight.

"So, little Leah Clearwater, what have you been up to since SPU?" he leaned back in his seat and glanced at her. A smug smirk spread across his face, showing more teeth than lip. And, oh, what perfect teeth they were.

Leah thought about just ignoring him. Really, just because the flight was full and she couldn't move to another seat, did not mean she _had _to talk to him.

She glanced at him sideways and expelled a deep breath to let him know that was going through great pains to speak. "After finishing my undergraduate degree I went on to get an MBA in finance. I work in finance." She crossed her arms and twisted her lips.

He squinted and opened and closed his mouth quickly. Staring at her for a second, he finally spoke. "Interesting. I would have thought that you would be somewhere running the city by now. You know given the way you blew into SPU, trying to run things."

Doing a double take, she tilted her head and thought. _Trying to run things? Whatever!_

She pursed her lips for a moment trying to keep her anger in order before she responded. "Well, given the fact that I was elected student government president in the second semester of my sophomore year and I beat a guy who was going to be a senior—a fancy frat boy, sports star, and all around Mr. Popular… oh wait…" she put her finger on her chin before pointing at him. "That was you, wasn't it?" she watched the smug expression disappear as she continued. "Anyway I think it's safe to say that I didn't _try, _I _succeeded_."

He arched his eyebrow as he observed her. "Modesty has never been your strong point Clearwater."

"Yours either Black."

"Touche." A predatory smile, which highlighted those perfect teeth, crossed his lips. The russet brown complexioned man with almond shaped eyes that made a woman long for the bedroom was infuriating. She w

"So what do you say, "he started and smiled at her before finishing, "we bury the legendary hatchet and let bygones be bygones?"

Leah pretended to consider his suggestion. There was no way she would do such a thing. Jake and his flunkies had run a horribly slanderous campaign and spread so many lies that people had still been whispering about her well into her senior year.

But the lies weren't the reason why she had vowed never to be nice to Jacob again. It was the truth that he let creep out that firmly placed him on her hate with a capital _H_ list.

This time she found herself able to manage at least a fake smile. "Burying the hatchet would be the mature thing to do huh? I mean, why hold on to silly college grudges when we're both adults."

His smile didn't appear genuine to Leah either. "Right, I for one am over the fact that you and your sorority sisters stole that election from me and ruined the legacy that I was going to leave for SPU." He took a deep breath, looking all pompous. "I'm ready to forgive you."

_Forgive me? Why you arrogant smug son of an asshole jerk! I'll show you forgive me, _she thought as her right eyebrow arched slightly.

"You, know you might be on to something. I think it would be wonderful and very big of me to forgive you and your stupid fraternity brothers for running such a slanderous campaign. Especially since, even with all the lies you told, you _still _lost. Forgiving you for your lies…is…" She let out a long, exaggerated sigh before finishing. "the very least I could do. Especially since my winning the election and becoming student government association president was the beginning of the very rich legacy of dynamic leadership _I _left at SPU."

Jacob's eyes narrowed and he stared at her a full minute before his face moved and the hint of a smirk appeared.

The close quarters of the small first class cabin seemed to move in on her with that smile.

First class was supposed to be roomy.

Wasn't it?

Jacob and his overwhelmingly sexy, larger than life persona took up all the damn room. She steeled herself to his magnetism by remembering who and what he really was. An arrogant, self-serving wolf!

Leah sighed, making strategic use of the stylized attitude that she had perfected across the ages with just enough huff and a slight roll of the eyes for good measure.

"Well, I'm glad we can agree to let the past be the past. Forgive and forget." He smiled.

_Forgive? The jury's still out._

_Forget? Not even on a bet._

She offered a fake laugh, a "hahahaha" that was movie ready. "Yes. It was a silly college rivalry, after all. Life goes on. People change."

_Except for people like you. I will never forgive you for tricking me into thinking you liked me, all the while scheming to get a picture of me kissing you to use as a part of your smear campaign. "See, even opponent Leah Clearwater has the hots for Jacob Black. Cast your vote for the candidate everyone wants!"_

Clearing his throat, he asked, "So, Leah have you been to Blake before?"

Leah glanced at him. For a brief second she considered not responding.

_Why are you still talking to me?_

"Just briefly. I took my mom on a Caribbean cruise and Blake was one of the islands we visited. It was so beautiful that I always wanted to come back and spend a little more time there. So, I figured I would spend a week getting to know the island."

"Well, it's my home. I was born and raised there." Jacob gave her a smile that was sure he meant to charm with. It was all teeth. "So, please allow me to be your host and tour guide, for old times' sake."

"Yeah right." She sucked her teeth and shook her head. "I don't think so. I would like to find my way around on my own. I'm sure you have plenty of family and friends here to keep you busy."

He leaned in close, nostrils flared and eyes darkened considerably. If she didn't know any better she would think that he was on the prowl. "Yes, but it's not often I get a chance to catch up with an old friend such as yourself. What kind of frat brother would I be if I let one of my Delta sisters roam around my island home all alone?"

She rolled her eyes then. The guy was truly reaching trying to play the Delta and Omega connection.

"Now you know during the years we were at SPU we hardly brought into the brother-sister thing. The entire time I was there my girls couldn't stand you guys."

It was so bad that during her freshmen, sophomore and part of her junior years, the SPU chapters of those organizations might as well have been mortal enemies. The beef between them so intense the year she pledged that she wasn't required to meet any of the members of his fraternity. That had led to some very awkward moments for her, since she had several classes with Omegas and had to see them and not acknowledge them as fellow brothers on the yard.

As she remembered, she realized Jake had been in one of her classes. She remembered how he would sometimes stand in her way in an effort to make her acknowledge and greet him. She would simply walk around him and not say a word.

Leah had actually worked on building peace with the Omegas during her junior year. But Jake and his group of frat brothers had been long gone by then. The two chapters actually had a much better relationship now due to the work she had done to make peace. But she wasn't about to tell him that. It would just give him more reason to pursue whatever evil plot he had in that big head of his.

The smirk that came across his face let her know he wouldn't be giving up anytime soon. "Yes that may be true but historically our organizations have an unwritten brother and sister bond that I feel obligated to uphold. I just refuse to have one of my sorors wandering around Blake alone when I'm here to show her around."

Leah placed on her most innocent smile as she said. "I'll tell you what. If I feel the need for a tour guide, I'll let you suggest the name of a good one. But I really think the time we are spending on the flight right now is enough to last us a lifetime."

Just then, the flight attendant announced that passengers could now turn on authorized electronics, and Leah made a show of pulling out her iPod, hoping that Jake would get the hint. She figured some of the girl power singing groups would get her through the trip and deal with Jacob's annoying presence.

Leah let out a sigh of release as she sang along with the girl groups playing on her iPod. This should make the three and a half hour trip a little more bearable.

She hoped.

* * *

><p><strong>:D Already having fun with this... <strong>

**I was thinking about breaking this into two separate chapters but I wanted some Jake and Leah time sooo here it is :) **

**Well part of it at least.. **

**Anyways**

**Review lovies!**


	3. Ch3:Way Too Sexy For Comfort

**Disclaimer: SM owns the Twilight characters, had I thought of them they all would have had a complete different story altogether… especially all of our wolves… le sigh…at least I have this to satisfy my crazy mind :D  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Ch3: Way Too Sexy For Comfort<strong>

Jacob watched the words coming out of Leah's lips, but he didn't believe them for a minute. The woman wouldn't know the truth if it jumped up and bit her in the behind. He smiled at the image briefly, and then frowned when the image turned into one of him softly nipping at her shapely derriere.

She was a lying, conniving woman who had cheated him out of his chance to be student government association president and finish his undergraduate career with a bang. She messed up his rightful place in the school's history. Given that if he really wanted to he could go to every single college in the world and never have to worry about time since he didn't age.

But everyone knew that election was important to him, including the sexy she-wolf sitting next to him.

He took a moment and inhaled without her noticing that he was scenting her. He would forever be able to pick her scent out of anyone, even in the crowd of thousands. It was distinct with her being a wolf also, but he had never smelled anyone as delicious as her. It was something he couldn't even give a name to, it was completely Leah though. The fact that they had seats next to each other was the icing on the fucktastic cake he spent hours making but didn't want to touch in fear of ruining it.

There was absolutely _no way_ he could possibly _still _be attracted to her.

He had always been an overachiever. He was used to obtaining everything he tried for, getting everything he wanted. He had earned his nickname, _The Wolf,_ and he wore it proudly. He hadn't been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, far from it. He knew the meaning of hard work, and he played to win. Losing the election to that sweet, talented, crafty, sexy little sophomore was a sore point in an otherwise stellar record.

Leah Clearwater owed him he figured, as he stared at her lying lips—her soft, luscious, lying lips. It must have been his lucky day to end up sitting next to the lovely Leah. Although she was doing everything in her power not to speak with him that wasn't going to derail him.

He watched as she had pulled out an iPod and was bobbing her head to some little melody. That was fine with him. It gave him some time to study her and come up with a game plan.

"Would you like something to drink?" the curvy jovial blonde flight attendant asked, breaking him out of his contemplation for a moment.

He tapped Leah, who looked at the flight attendant and shook her head.

"I'll take a vodka tonic," he responded, it had no effect on him it would be like having a sip of lemonade so he didn't care.

Vacationing in Blake allowed him to squeeze a visit with family, the first since his grandmother's funeral and he hoped there were more visits in the future under different circumstances. Having Leah Clearwater on the same island was an unforeseen bonus.

He had recently missed being at his grandmothers bedside with the rest of the family when she passed away. He'd had work related commitments and couldn't make it back to Blake in time. Leaving his job as corporate raider taking the job at Mainstay and his guilt about his grandmother made him consider the possibilities of changing his ways.

Jacob had loved his old job. He had loved the thrill of sniffing out companies ripe for corporate takeovers. His instincts had made for a quick rise in the business world. Although his devotion to his job had meant that he hadn't been able to make it home often. He had a spacious home that he had built for when he visited the island, and he barely used it.

He seldom had time for a social life. But he had managed to find time for recreational activities. He hadn't been hard-pressed to find company of the female persuasion. Fortunately, the demands of his former job meant he hadn't had the time to make long lasting relationships. And that worked for him. If he stayed with a woman too long it brought on too many questions such as: why are you so warm, why do you sneak off in the middle of the night, and other frivolous things he didn't want to bother answering. He didn't have any intention of giving up his bachelor status any time in the near future.

The women still came knowing that he didn't want anything serious and when he was done with them they left at his command, all except one.

He turned to Leah, still nodding her head and pretending to ignore him. But her body couldn't ignore him if he remembered correctly.

That she would be sitting next to him all high and mighty was a sunny side to his vacation that he hadn't expected but certainly welcomed. It was time to pay Miss Clearwater back for her lies and games.

This time she wouldn't get away until he was quite done with her.

She had fooled him once with her sweet idealism. He had admired her spunk in running for president at the end of her sophomore year. Every time he had spoken to her, even during their heated public debates, he had found himself drawn to and liking her more and more. He hadn't intended to let her win, of course. But he could have seen her doing great things for the university in the future _after _he graduated that was.

He had even considered telling his fraternity brothers to calm down on the campaign tactics, especially when she came to him and he had ended up kissing her. The attraction to her so strong he couldn't stop himself from pulling her supple body into his and stealing a kiss that left them both wanting more. He hadn't known until later that it had been a set up.

She had paid someone to get pictures of the kiss.

Luckily, one of his fraternity brothers had been able to get a copy of the picture and their camp had used it first. It hadn't made a difference, however. What she had come back with using the same picture of them kissing was what he felt cost him the election.

_Do you really want a president who can't stop sniffing behind women long enough to properly run a campaign, let alone run the student government? Leah Clearwater will go to great lengths for SPU, even if it means kissing a fool to get at the truth! Vote for Leah and leave The Wolf to his pitiful lurking._

The truth.

That was exactly what Jacob was going to devote his vacation to finding out. Leah obviously wasn't the sweet girl she had everyone believing she was. And the one kiss they had shared had cost him the election and had haunted him for years. It was time to put all those old feelings to bed, _literally._

He glanced at her.

She was still beautiful. Her flawless complexion was radiant. Even that fake smile she had given him as she lied through her teeth had an exuberance about it that pulled him in. She wore her long, dark black hair in soft ringlet curls that framed her face. Judging by what he was able to see when she stood up so that he could get to his seat, her body was better than he had remembered. It seemed as if she had matured in all the right ways and all the right places. He didn't see the same sweet idealism in her soft brown eyes that he had seen her give other people years ago. But they still made him want to gaze into them.

She wasn't going to make it easy that was for sure. But then again he never liked things too easy, anyway. It spoiled the fun of the _chase._ A thing he loved doing with females but none of the women he met since Leah ever sent him on a pursuit, they gave in within minutes of him asking. One thing was for certain, he wasn't going to miss out on the opportunity that fate had sent him to get the one who got away and pay her back for all her devious treachery.

She would crack eventually. He would see to it. He was Alpha male after all and that dominated an Alpha female any day.

He tapped her again and she turned to face him just as the flight attendant came back with his drink.

Leah made a show of turning off her iPod irritation lacing her tone, "What?"

Clearly that nice, sweet girl he knew back at SPU was just an act. The way the woman was giving off the attitude, you would think it was her middle name.

Jacob smiled. It would take more than _that_ to scare him off. "It's going to be a long flight. And even though I brought work with me, I'd much rather catch up with you. So, what brings you to Blake?"

"Are you serious?" yup, she definitely sounded annoyed.

He almost chuckled but kept his small amusement to himself. "Yes. Despite how things ended up in the past, I would like to think that we would have been friends if we hadn't been running against each other."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Please, with how big the campus was you wouldn't have even noticed me or known I was alive if I hadn't stepped up to run against you."

That wasn't true. He had noticed little Leah Clearwater from the first day she stepped on campus during her freshman orientation, when he had been orientation leader for another group of freshmen. Her scent was so powerful he couldn't ignore her, and he knew something was different about her right away. He had also noticed that she seemed to gravitate away from anything that was close to his type, settling toward the complete opposite. Guys that she was able to push over and dominate.

And she had run over those guys like nobody's business. He had always thought that what she really needed was more of a challenge.

_Me to be exact._ But she never gave him any play besides the kiss.

Not wanting to give her ego anything to fest on, he just let her comment about him not noticing her slide. "So, what are your plans once you land on my beautiful island?"

She paused and considered him carefully. Her eyes narrowed ever so briefly and he thought for a minute she wasn't going to answer him.

Taking her iPod and placing it in her bag, she then turned to him. "Actually, I haven't the slightest idea. This vacation was sort of spur of the moment. I needed to get away from it all and needed someplace to clear my head. I figured I would wing it."

She opened her mouth as if she were considering adding something else and then shut it quickly.

_Interesting._

"Well, that just won't do Clearwater. You really have to try and make some time for me to show you the sights. How long will you be staying?"

"One week. And while I appreciate your quite insistent offer, I really don't think I'm in the mood for any company. You know, part of the whole 'space clear my head' thing?" She forced a fake smile and made a move to go for her iPod again.

Jacob reached out and touched her warm hand before she could do so. An electric shock went through him, and he felt his heart skip.

_Oh, shit that was odd._

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open, but no words came out. She shut her mouth, but she stopped reaching for her iPod. Slowly she removed her hand from his touch.

"I'm going to be on the island for two weeks. And I'm thinking I need to spend some of that time reacquainting myself with you Leah. I'm not one to beg, or force my company on a woman. But I know that you would regret it if you allowed this moment to pass without taking the chance for us to get to know one another again."

"Oh, I don't know Jake. I'm thinking…" she pretended to ponder as her eyes locked with his, "…I'll live." She then quickly put the earphones back in her ears and turned on her iPod.

All Jacob could do was smile at that. The trip home was already turning out to be so much more interesting than he thought it was going to be.

_Let the chasing game begin Clearwater._

* * *

><p>For the first time ever, the girl groups weren't doing it for her. Usually, a good-girl group anthem could get her going and get her hyped up enough to deal with anything the world decided to throw at her. For some reason, sitting next to Jake, she was longing for some smooth contemporary love songs, some malefemale duets or something equally romantic.

_What the hell was that about?_

There was something about sitting so close to Jacob with him not being able to buy a clue and realize that she had no desire to make conversation with him that made her feel vulnerable. It made her feel like there was no way she would get off of the island of Blake without falling victim to The Wolf and his charms again.

_What to do? What to do? _she mused as she mindlessly hummed along with the up-tempo song playing on her iPod.

She really would be crazy if she thought for a minute she should even consider her foolish—apparently not just a weak moment of her past—attraction to Jacob Black. He was not her type.

She turned off the iPod but didn't bother to take off the earphones to put it away.

She needed to think.

_The Wolf._

Not exactly the kind of man she normally went for. In fact, she made it her business to stay far away from men like him, even before he got close enough to wound her young and impressionable heart. She hadn't been joking when she told her sister in law and brother that the I-love-me-some-alpha-jerk-reformed-playboys gene had skipped her. And even if it hadn't _really_ skipped her, she had actively resisted the trap for years and wasn't trying to get caught up now.

But why was her allergy turning into an itch that she wanted no one but Jacob Black to scratch?

He wasn't a safe bet by any stretch of the imagination.

However, dating safe guys hadn't proved to be all that conflict free. They lied and cheated, too, as Paul had shown her all too clearly.

So maybe she could take a chance and have a hot island fling with a guy _like_ Jake. That might allow her to exorcise a whole lot of demons. She had come to the island with the vague idea of doing something wild, spontaneous, impulsive and completely unlike herself. A fling would be totally wild.

_A fling with a bad boy that might be able to keep up with her? Even better._

Not a fling with The Wolf himself, of course. She knew there was no way she was ready to take him on and she had a small feeling her heart wouldn't survive that. But someone smooth and oh-so-fine like him? That might be something she could work with.

She glanced at Jacob. He arched an eyebrow and then winked. She swallowed and wished she had gotten that drink when the flight attendant had come by the first time. It wouldn't have done anything really but it was the idea of making her feel better that made her want it.

_Isn't first class supposed to be roomier?_

Jacob Black literally just took up entirely too much room. His presence seemed just that big. She cleared her throat and tried to think about something besides how good he looked or how scrumptious he smelled.

_A fling, yes, but not with Jake._

"Not with Jacob" needed to become her new mantra, quick, fast and in a hurry.

_Not with Jacob._

_Not with freaking Jacob._

She chanted the words in her head like she was channeling Angela Bassett's Tina Turner at her Buddhist altar.

Jake might just be the one to lead her to her island magic man, the one to help her get past her fear of bad boys once and for all. Other wolves ran in packs, didn't they? And even though she wasn't about to go there with Jake, he might have a friend that she could take on. She thought about taking him up on his offer to give her a tour of the island.

Putting the iPod away, she turned to him. "You know what Jake? Since you've offered your help, and have been so kind about introducing me to the island, I would love to take you up on it if the offer still stands."

"It does. I would love to… show you the island." The slight pause he offered before finishing his sentence made her heart still for a second.

_What was that about?_

Shaking it off and plastering a smile on her face she decided to forge ahead. "Great. I would love to hit some of the hot spots. You know the spots where I can meet lots of people."

"Sounds good. I'd love the chance to get… reacquainted." He did that weird pause thing again and then his eyebrow arched slightly. "And I was thinking, it's the least you could do after trying to kill me."

_How did I know he was going to bring that up eventually?_

Leah groaned. "I didn't try to kill you. You were standing in front of my car and you wouldn't move."

"I was waiting for you and your line sisters to greet me." A smirk crossed his face. "You girls were pledging, and everyone knows that pledges are supposed to greet _all_ Greeks on the yard. Even if you couldn't greet me as a big brother because of the strife between the sorors and the bros that year, you could have _still _greeted me."

Leah chanced a look at him and noted the playful gleam in his eyes. Good thing he wasn't holding a grudge about her almost running him over with her car all those years ago.

Her dean of pledges had taken them to a party at a neighboring school, and Jacob was there with his fraternity brothers. When she and her pledge sisters had walked by without greeting the guys, Jake had followed them out. He had stood in front of her car, and Leah had panicked. Emily, her cousin and the big sister whose breakup with one of the Omegas had started the feud, was in the backseat. She told Leah to quote, run Jacob the hell over if he didn't move. Leah had turned to the dean of pledges, Lauren for advice, and Lauren concurred. So Leah slowly inched forward in the bright red Jetta she had received from her mother on her eighteenth birthday.

She remembered the wide-eyed, shocked look on Jake's face when the car started to move. She knew she wouldn't hurt him with his fast healing but still!

She would never forget the athletic leap he made onto the hood denting part of her car as his gleaming eyes narrowed in on her. He had jumped down from the car and she had sped off with her heart racing.

Shaking her head in hopes of shaking away the memory of his predator like glare and all the promises of retribution his eyes held, she offered. "Like I said…er… I didn't try to kill you. You got in the way of my car and you weren't hurt anyway."

"Yeah, right. You listened to your crazy big sisters and you almost caught a case for vehicle manslaughter. I could have _died_." He chuckled jokingly.

Leah decided to chance a giggle of her own since he was able to laugh about it. "Oh, I don't know. The people in my car were all ready to testify that you were crazy and must have had a death wish because you jumped in front of my car like you were Superman."

They both laughed at the memory and a warm feeling came over her. Could it be that she was really feeling at ease with The Wolf? That couldn't be good. Everyone knew that as soon as the three little pigs or little red riding hood let their guards down the wolf pounced and ate them up. Leah knew she could hold her own but she couldn't make herself continue to hold him at arm's length.

She decided to continue their playful banter instead. "And you're lucky I didn't press charges your big ass dented my hood."

"Yeah, I think it was either dent your hood or end up under your wheels. I don't think I would look attractive with tire tracks over my body."

Leah laughed. "Okay, maybe _that's_ why I didn't press charges."

"Hmm…ya think?" His eyebrow did that sexy half slant, half arch thing again, and her mouth went dry.

"Okay I apologize for trying to—" she cleared her throat before continuing"—kill you. That was wrong. And as penance I guess I'll suffer your hospitality a bit on the island and let you show me around."

"Oh, you'll suffer my hospitality, will you?" He burst out into a low, sexy chuckle that sounded like a mix between a growl and a purr.

In any case, it was way too sexy for comfort.

"Yes. You're right. It's the least I can do." Leah smiled. The fact that Jake could joke about it showed that he might not be such a bad guy after all.

"Would you like the chicken or the fish?" The flight attendant came back with the lunch entrée for the trip.

"Chicken," they answered in unison.

The flight attendance handed them both their plastic trays full of a pseudo haute-cuisine inspired chicken dish that had been microwaved to taste like plastic. If she hadn't been starving she really wouldn't have bothered. Stupid metabolism and her unchanging body always demanded food.

She wondered why first class didn't have better food than what she was poking her plastic spork with at the moment. The unappealing food was clearly another instance of the universe thumbing its nose at her.

Cutting into the rubbery chicken and overcooked veggies, she chanced another glance at Jake.

_Yep, still fine as ever. The Gods were very kind to him taking their sweet time to make sure he looked perfect before sending him down to reign his sexy terror on every female on earth.  
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"Now that you've apologized for trying to kill me, what do you say you add one for making me kiss you so that you could get that incriminating photo that cost me the election?" his nonchalant question had a cutting edge to it.

Shock and anger caused the plastic cutlery she had in her hand to snap in half. Her jaw dropped. And, in a very unladylike gesture, a piece of the rubber chicken came tumbling out of her mouth and landed back in the little tray.

This was exactly why a girl should never let her guard down in the presence of a wolf, a Alpha male wolf no less!

Composing herself seemed like an unattainable goal at the moment. All she could manage was a startled, "Say what?"

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>

**So not much on Jacob's back story but we won't really get his FULL story until later in bits and pieces of course. I have to keep you interested with some mystery.. mwahahaa.. So while my other beta takes forever getting back to me on LC's Room I'm having fun playing with this side of Jake and Leah. **

**Your reviews are ah-MAZING. And I never expect as many as I get but they do make me smile and they make my day immensely brighter. \(^_^)/**

**Now if only I could get Jacob to remember & chase me like he's about to do with Leah then my world would be complete. I'm sure Embry wouldn't mind… lol.**

**Anyways click that special favorite button of mine called (**_**Review **_) **and I'll make sure that Leah and Jake will go on a ride no one will ever forget lol :D**


	4. Ch4:Deny, Deny, Deny

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight. I only own my red laptop where I write what I wished could have happen with my fav characters. In no way am I getting paid for any of this, because if I was I would be in a jacuzzi full of newly printed money taking turns with each of my fav WILF's Embry, Jacob, Paul, Collin, Brady, Seth & maybeeeee Jared with them all in the nude catering to my every whim! mwhahahaha.  
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><p><strong>Ch4:Deny, Deny, Deny<strong>

Jacob kept his gaze pinned on Leah. He was finally going to get the truth about the scheming and plotting she must have done back then. He could forgive the cute little pledge who had almost run him over with her car because her big sister told her to. It had been a stupid thing for her to do, but he hadn't gotten hurt. Nothing but a leech or another wolf could cause any real damage to him. He hadn't been around another wolf since he had been home and he hadn't come across any leeches around his territory in Seattle.

He couldn't forgive or forget, however, the young woman who had kissed him and put those scandalous pictures in the school paper. She hadn't been pledging a sorority then. She had done those deeds on her own for her own gain.

Judging from the way her jaw was hanging and the now crumbling pieces of her plastic fork that fell onto her plate, he must have caught her off guard.

Pushing his more than half eaten airport delicacy aside, he peered at her a moment more before repeating himself. And then he waited for the long anticipated apology.

The look Leah cut him instead as she folded her arms across her chest and arched her eyebrow made him think that the apology might be a long time coming. From what it looked like, she seemed to be hiding her hands that were shaking from her anger. He was hoping that she didn't plan on phasing on the plane because that ending didn't sound good at all.

But after she closed her eyes for a second her hands stopped vibrating. "If anyone should be apologizing about that photo, it's you. You're the one who orchestrated the entire thing." She let out her stream of words in a heated hiss. And then a haughty indignant glare crossed her face as her shoulders crept higher and higher. "Playing on my naïve emotions and catching me in a moment of weakness… did you and your frat brothers have a good laugh at my expense?"

"Would you like another drink sir?" The flight attendant leaned down toward them, and he took his eyes off of the headstrong Leah for a moment.

"I'll take another vodka tonic."

"And you, ma'am?"

"Gin and tonic with lime." Leah smiled sweetly at the flight attendant and glared at him as soon as the woman walked off to get their drinks.

They each just stared at one another. Jake knew he was waiting for the flight attendant to return with the drinks and leave again to resume the conversation. He figured Leah was trying to piece together her lies. She should be counting her lucky stars that she was one of the few people where he couldn't scent out if she was dishonest or not. Otherwise he would have called her out long ago.

So he watched her instead and she watched him.

He had to admit as he took his drink from the flight attendant and then the flight attendant handed Leah hers, Leah had the righteous anger and incredulous overconfident stance down. He could almost believe that she really felt that she had been the wronged party.

Although he had planned to use some of his time on the island to get the truth out of her, he figured he might as well get it out now. That way, they could get the past out and be done with it.

"So…" he moved his hands in a gesture so that she would continue.

She was wrong and she needed to admit it.

"You're kidding right Black?" Leah asked the question between clenched teeth with her arms still firmly crossed. She hadn't even bothered to take a sip of her drink.

Jacob picked up his vodka tonic, downing it before he responded. "Do I look like I'm kidding Clearwater? I mean, come on, it was a long time ago, but it would still be nice to know why you did it. Well, besides wanting to win and knowing that there was no way you would have beaten me otherwise."

She started laughing then, literally giggling out of control, holding her flat toned stomach and everything.

The laughing fit went on for several minutes, and then she stopped and slowly wiped tears of laughter from her eyes using her middle finger only. Jacob knew she was doing that on purpose.

She glared at him for a second before saying. "You are delusional."

Then she turned away from him as she put her earplugs back in and enjoyed her drink.

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><p><em>The nerve of him! What happened to letting bygones be bygones? Burying the hatchet? All that shit?<em>

And then he had the nerve to try and continue his whole you-set-me-up spiel when he was the one who had set her up. He was the one who had played her and played on her feelings for him.

If it wasn't so funny it might have been sad. The man was definitely either delusional or really thought if he put his own spin on the story long enough he could make anyone believe it, even the person who got hurt by his actions.

_Oh, I'm sorry, girl. You broke your own heart. I didn't do that. And by the way, you should apologize because you hurt my little record while you were busy breaking your own heart._

_The asshole!_

_The nerve of him!_

His audacity was almost too much and if she hadn't started to think of her happy place she was sure the plane would have seen the whole other hairy side of her. She really thought of just letting the situation go but a few questions began festering in her head and she knew she wasn't going to be able to just forget about it like she wanted.

Snatching off the earplugs that weren't really blocking any sounds out she turned and looked at him.

He watched her intently, his dark eyes studying her every move. She could tell he was trying to read her to see if she was lying or not.

"Why are you trying to blame me for something that you and your frat brothers cooked up? It's not my fault it backfired on you and you lost."

_Sore loser, _she thought even though she knew he was anything but a loser. He might have lost that election to her, but it was probably the only thing he had ever lost in his entire life.

"Are you saying you really had nothing to do with the picture being taken?"

"How could I have known? I certainly had no idea you were going to kiss me!" she huffed.

He frowned then as if he had never considered that aspect of it before. "Hmm…Maybe it was a setup," he mumbled.

"Yeah, but who could have known that we were going to kiss? I mean, we didn't plan to kiss or anything… It was a mistake… a fluke. There's no way someone could have planned to catch us, right? Unless you knew you were going to kiss me and you planned it." Leah didn't like the flustered jumble of her words, but she couldn't help it.

"Trust me I didn't know I was going to kiss you then." Jacob had a narrowly focused glint in his eyes, and he rubbed his chin in contemplation. "After the kiss you ran off wherever you went but I hung around. I didn't see anyone else there. But that doesn't mean there _wasn't_ anyone else there. That person might have seen us kissing and taken advantage of the situation." His thinking-man, mile-high-private-eye act had her heart stuttering. Who knew a guy putting together facts could be so sexy?

Leah kept her expression clear of any emotions as she responded. "Sounds really plausible, Black. But of course I'll have to mull it over awhile first, given the fact that I have spent all this time pretty much despising you for using… that particular moment in your campaign. I may need a minute to rethink this new information."

He nodded his head in agreement. "The same here. The fact that I was right about you and then led to believe that I was wrong about you, which led me to be wrong about you for all these years, is a lot to process." Jacob mumbled.

"What?" Leah twisted her face in a confused manner.

"Never mind, let's just say I'm glad we've somewhat figured this out, because I wouldn't want anything to get in the way of us getting reacquainted."

"Riiiiiiight. Reacquainted." Suddenly Leah's lips felt parched. She took a sip of her gin and tonic in an attempt to quench, if not her thirst, then something…

Jacob held out his hand. "So how about the two of us form a truce for real this time?"

Leah had to smile at that. But a small part of her wondered what would have happened if the pictures of their kiss hadn't shown up. Would they have kissed again? Or more?

"Okay. I'm sorry for hating you all these years and throwing negative energy into the universe about you."

Jacob's jaw dropped. "Negative energy into the universe? Really? Now, see, I just hated you. I didn't pull a Miss Celie on you."

Now Leah's jaw dropped. It couldn't be. One of her favorite things to do with Keilani and Seth was quote lines from movies and plays at both opportune and inopportune moments. She crooked her pointer and middle finger and squinted her eyes. "Until you do right by me—"

"Everything you even think about gonna fail." Jacob and Leah finished Whoopi Goldberg's famous lines in unison.

She couldn't help it. She started giggling again, anger completely forgotten. "Okay that was weird. Somebody has seen _The Color Purple _one too many times."

"And that someone would be _you_." Jacob said with a smirk.

"Okay, guilty as charged. I have been known to quote lines from movies, plays, fiction and songs when I think the moment fits. And that was one of the movies I just saw recently." Leah giggled lightly. "It's a part of my inner dweeb. I'm like a walking Notable Quotable."

"Now I'm officially speechless. I have no idea what to do with this new information about you, Leah. An inner dweeb?" Jacob's almond shaped dark brown eyes considered her and seemed to hold her. "And here I thought you were one of the cool girls? I guess that's why you used to date all those lame guys in college."

Leah's mouth fell open. "What do you mean by that?" She almost went as far to deny her partiality for guys that were easy to manipulate, but she didn't want to let on that Jake had touched a nerve. It did bring to the forefront the question of what Jake was doing noticing the kinds of guys she dated back then.

Shaking his head as if trying to clear it, Jake smiled. "Never mind. It's not important. What is important is how you want to spend your time in Blake."

_Yes, it's best to leave that alone. Good move, dude, good move!_

"I just want to have fun. I want to do some touristy things, but I also want to see as much of the island as possible. And I would love to see the places where the people of Blake actually hang out, places off the beaten path."

"I think I can handle that." The sexy glint came back into his eyes, and his smile took on that predator's gleam.

_Uh-oh. Back away from The Wolf, for your own safety. Back away from The Wolf._

"Honestly, Jacob, you don't have to. I know you're here visiting family. So I would totally understand if you couldn't follow through—"

"Oh, make no mistake, I_ always_ follow through, and there isn't anything that could keep me away from my promise to show you around. I want to do this very much."

The steaming sincerity in his eyes accelerated her heartbeat until it sounded like a wild herd stampeding in her eardrums. She couldn't think of a response even if her mouth had been working well enough to form words.

She cleared her throat, needing to somehow shift the mood from the glowing nice vibe that was starting to redevelop between them. "So, I've been hearing lots of buzz about you through the years, lots of corporate takeovers, forced mergers, raiding and moneymaking. Very impressive, Black."

_There she'd said it!_

The last thing she wanted to do was give Mr. Very Big Ego another reason to have a swelled head. But his career was impressive, and she envied it like nobody's business. That was why losing the promotion stung so much. She wanted to play with the big boys like Jacob, and had essentially been told, _no, stay in your lane, little girl._

Jacob squinted and eyed her for a moment before responding. "Thanks. I had no idea that you had kept up with my career."

Big. Ego. Indeed. "I wasn't keeping up with your career or anything like that. I just noticed a couple of articles every now and then and thought I would make small talk. No need to go getting a bigger head, Jake."

He gave her one of his trade mark sexy grins then, and she felt her insides quiver.

Her wolf who was usually silent was making herself known and she wanted the sexy, infuriating jerk in front of her but Leah did not plan on giving in to her wolfs wants.

"Oh, in that case, thanks. What about you? You're in finance right? What do you do? Are you moving and shaking like you did in undergrad?"

She swallowed. It was like every school reunion nightmare she had ever had rolled into one. She was like the loser who had peaked in college, forced to face Mr. Most Successful.

_No. Way._

"Yes, I work in finance, but I'm on vacation now. The last thing I want to talk about is work. So, if you're going to hang with me at all this week, that's the first rule. No talking about work while we're on vacation."

He smiled his panty dropping smile as someone came on through the speaker telling them to remain seated as they landed.

As soon as the three minute announcement was done Jake held out his hand as he said, "Sounds fine with me. No talking about work."

Leah took his large equally warm hand in hers intending to shake it when an oh-so-pleasing electric charge coursed from her hand through her body again, and she felt her eyes flutter as she became slightly wet.

She looked him in the eye and she could tell that he felt the electric charge too. His dark eyes narrowed as his nose flared and his jaw began to tighten and untighten, as if he was trying to fight the feeling. She sighed in relief. As long as they both decided to resist whatever the attraction was between them, then things should be okay.

_Deny, deny, deny. _Another new mantra she was going to add to her list that seemed to be getting longer and longer.

God forbid either one of them would decide to let go and give in to the heat.

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><p><strong>Sooo I'm thinking of just posting up the chapters of my other stories without having them beta'ed by my beautiful beta. <strong>

**I don't usually have that many errors anyways because I tend to re read it like five times fixing anything along the way. **

**So I'm giving her until the end of the day before I just post them up...  
><strong>

**I hate that I've left so long of time between updates for my other stories. But since this one is pretty much all planned out because I'm super excited on writing it I'll definitely be pushing out a chapter a day until it's done.**

**One faithful PM'er/reviewer pointed out that the title doesn't match the story...**

**I explained to her, that it doesn't match it yet  
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**Keep in my mind it's only the beginning and as always most things in my stories never make sense until the end. It's just how I work...**

**I'm a strange jelly bean of a writer, I already know, I'm just happy you guys sort of get me... :)  
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**And I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story as much as I enjoy writing it.**

**So _(Review)_ let me know what you think, what you like or hate, or what you hope to see in the future and it might be squeezed in! :D**

**Now I'm going to curl up in my snuggie & read Kei Kat Jones: Worth Waiting For, to have my daily dose of Embry because I heart her and I love her stories, while I patiently wait for all your wonderful Reviews & PM's!**

**xoxo  
><strong>


	5. Ch5:Pass The Gun & Label Me

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight but in my heart I know I would have treated them better lol... well maybe not all of them but our WILFs for sure...  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Ch5:Pass The Gun &amp; Label Me<br>**

_Okay, now how exactly did I wind up letting Jake talk me into taking a ride to my hotel in his rental instead of taking a cab?_

The convertible sports car let the island breeze in to tousle her hair. On a regular day, a girl would have been a tad bit upset about messing up _the do_. But there was something about the company and general feel of the moment that made Leah think it was okay to sacrifice a few wayward strands in her face for a while.

Glancing around, she noted that the pastures and cows along the road from the airport made for a different landscape from the port in Blakesport she remembered from when she had visited the island on her cruise. Once they pulled onto the highway, it at least appeared that they were moving away from the rural countryside.

"So, what are your plans for dinner tonight?" Jacob kept his eyes on the narrow road, but his voice held a strong hint of interest.

"I haven't made any plans for dinner. I'm just winging it. I sort of took this trip on the spur of the moment." _Way to sound fickle, Leah. _"I mean, I wanted to experience spontaneity, you know. Do something out of the ordinary."

"That sounds risky. Are you sure you're up for it?"

"Oh. I'm sure. I've already got some plans to make this the most exciting excursion of my life." Leah wondered why she was telling him out of her plans to begin with.

"Really?" Jake laughed. "I can't even imagine that. Plus, if you have 'plans,' doesn't that sort of go against the whole spontaneous aspect? And you really don't strike me as the cast cares to the wind, let go and let flow type. You're one of those book control freaks. I bet you try to _plan _everything. And you probably have a bunch of rules that you follow religiously and try to make others follow them, as well."

Taken aback for a moment, she wondered how he knew. Leah spent most of her time bending people to her will. It worked just about ninety eight percent of the time too.

Watching him drive, with his chin tilted all smugly, caused her anger to flair. She could throw caution to the wind just as much as the next person! And who was Jake, anyway, to think he had her all figured out, put in a box and tied with a neat bow? She could be just as wild as anyone else.

_Really_ she could.

Leah decided it was time to let-it-all-out on her real plans for her island stay. She would need his help locating all the hot spots, anyway. And he had offered to show her around.

"I'm thinking I'll have an island fling while I'm in Blake. And I would love it if you could take me somewhere where I can meet someone to fit the bill." Once the words fell out of her mouth, she thought about taking them back.

Jacob's head turned sharply, and he gawked at her before growling softly.

She ignored the growl because nothing she said should have brought that on, as she yelled. "Eyes on the road dude!"

"Okay." Shaking his head as if he was trying to clear it, Jake let out an uneasy chuckle. "You just shocked me for a minute."

Leah tilted her head.

_That's right baby boy! I can be spontaneous._

"I don't know what's so shocking about it. Women in the world have affairs all the time. It's the new thing. Don't you watch television? Step into the twenty first century, dude."

She could see his face twisting up in weird contortions even from his profile. Each frown, open and close of his mouth and purse of his lips made her squirm just a little bit more in her seat. His hands started to vibrate for a minute.

_Whoa. Weird._

Leah started to rethink her plan. Why was she asking Jacob Black of all people, to help her find someone to have her get-your-groove-back-fling with? Wasn't that a bit like the three little pigs asking the big bad wolf to help them rebuild their homes? Maybe it wasn't such a bright idea after all.

She knew she had made a colossal mistake when Jake pulled the car off the highway at the next exit. After finding a nice, quiet, rural spot, he stopped.

He parked the car, took several breaths as he calmed down enough to stop shaking and looked at her with his eyebrows arched ever so slightly.

"Let me get this straight. You want me—" he paused and pointed to himself for emphasis "—to help you—" he squinted and waved his hand in her direction "—find a guy to have a hot island fling with?"

"Well, yeah. You're the one who said you wanted to look out for a soror. Yada, yada, yada. Help a girl get to know your island… Let bygones be bygones. Blah, blah, blah." She rolled her eyes as she moved her hand to mimic her words.

Even though she had the smooth act on the exterior on the inside she was sweating bullets. If she had a collar on her shirt it probably would have been tight right about then. Instead she just felt a slow heat rising from her neck to her face. Leave it to Jacob to make her feel uneasy and on edge. Agreeing to the car ride was definitely a bad idea.

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><p>Jacob couldn't help staring at Leah. He hadn't expected such a request to come from her pretty little mouth. He had actually thought he would have to be creative and find ways to get close to her.<p>

The she-wolf had unwittingly provided him with the perfect in. He wasn't a bit believer in fate. But meeting up with Leah on the plane and having her share her outrageous plans for him to help her find someone to have an island affair with would certainly make a believer out of him. Because the only person little Miss Clearwater was going to be having a fling with in Blake was him.

He would see to it, his wolf seemed to be snarling at the idea of any other guy touching her, his wolf hadn't responded like this since he remembered seeing her in college. It was a feeling he hated and enjoyed all at the same time.

Touching his hand to his chin, he studied her. She seemed to be really flustered even with trying to hide it. He figured she was having second thoughts, and he couldn't allow that. "So, what exactly are you looking for in an island fling?"

"What?" her mouth fell open and he couldn't help noticing the sexy fullness of her lips. To kiss them again would be divine. He couldn't wait.

"You know. What type of guy are you looking for? I think I remember something about your tastes back in college." Boy, did he remember. He wished he could forget. "You like those bow down to whatever you say oh mistress Clearwater types don't you?"

"I… do… not! I mean… normally… I do… but… well…" Uncomfortable didn't even begin to describe the flustered look in her eyes and the quick opening and closing of her luscious mouth.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and then she turned and stared him right in the eye. "That's my usual preference. I have more in common with men who don't live by the notches on their bedposts. My wolf on the other hand prefers…" she gave him a serious eye fuck of a once over before shaking her head and cutting herself off and starting a new sentence. "But for my fling, I'm thinking I'll take a walk on the different side of the street. If only for the week I'm here…"

"Are you sure you can hang? No, offense but you don't look like the wild side type. Definitely, not the fling type."

_No, little Leah, you are the until-death-do-us-part type. A guy would have to be silly or ready to play Russian roulette with his bacherlorhood to get into a fling with you. But pass me the gun and label me stupid, because I'm all in._

Jacob tapped the steering wheel as he waited for her response.

She sighed in contemplation. "That's the thing. Usually I'm not. But let's just say I've had an awakening of sorts. And I learned that life doesn't last forever well it might for us but you know what I mean. I also learned that sometimes we should dive ahead into uncharted territory in order to make it possible to move on."

_Psychobabble. Somebody's been watching a little too much Dr. Phil._

He would have never thought he would have a reason to thank daytime television. But then he had never thought he would have Leah Clearwater boxed, gift wrapped and handed to him with a bow.

_Thank you, Oprah, Dr. Phil, whoever!_

"Okay. So what are you looking for?" Trying to hold back the wide grin that threatened to surface proved to be hard work.

"Well… I guess I'm looking for a bad boy. Someone like… well… you…ah…you know, someone who can take me places I have yet to imagine." A small bead of sweat appeared on her brow as she turned away from him. She swallowed several times and then turned back to face him. "I just want to have an experience for once in my life that is totally outside of the norm, totally unlike anything that I would _ever_ do."

Jacob studied the woman sitting next to him, looking for the catch. She had to be playing with him, right? No way was fate that much in his favor. He took a whiff of the sweet island air and smiled. He should have made it back home a lot more often.

"Are you serious about this Clearwater?"

She paused for a moment, fiddling with her seatbelt. After a deep breath she stated, "I have never been more serious about anything in my life."

"Okay, Leah. You have got yourself a deal. I promise you. I won't rest until you have experienced an island fling that will blow your mind and take you to another world."

She didn't need to know at that moment that he had decided that he was going to be the one to take her there and deliver the fling. All she needed to know right then was that she had a helper.

"Great, then… ah… I mean… I know you're visiting your family and all, and I don't want to intrude on their time. " She tried crossing her sexy long legs, but the space in the small sports car didn't allow for much movement. It did allow him to get a good glimpse of her long, shapely limbs and to imagine the ways they could wrap around him.

She licked her lips in a nervous gesture, and he felt a tightening in his gut.

"So if you can't escort me to the spots, just point me in the right direction. Once I find my fling man then I won't need to bother you anymore."

"Oh, I'm sure I can spend time with the family and help you find what you're looking for, as well." Intrigued, Jacob leaned over. "In fact, I think finding the proper man for you to have this little tryst with is going to be super easy. I think I might have someone in mind."

"Really? Well that's wonderful." she smiled.

"I know. I think he's just what you're looking for. Just what you _need_." he made sure to put emphasis on what she would need.

"Just so long as we're clear that I'm looking for a no-promises, no commitment required, no questions asked fling. I just want to let my hair down and have fun for once in my life. You know?" she asked looking his way with a smirk of her own.

She was too beautiful for words, there was no way he was letting this opportunity escape him, screw pointing her into another guy's arms she was going to be his.

"Yes I know. And like I said, I would even be willing to escort you to the island hot spots and clubs." he had the sudden urge to touch her arm but kept his hands on the steering wheel to keep from doing anything to change her mind.

"Cool. I can't wait Black." she was no longer flustered he noticed.

"Neither can I Clearwater. Neither can I."

The vacation had taken on a very interesting and a promising turn indeed. Jacob pulled back onto the road with a big smile on his face.

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><p><strong>Leah doesn't stand a chance with our determined Jake. <strong>

**Hahaha... :D**

**To the reviewer who asked if they both know that the other is a wolf, that answer is yes I've hinted at a few times but it'll be brought out more if you continue to read.**

**Your reviews are AWEsome!**

**Keep them coming :D**

**Review, Review, Review  
><strong>

**xoxo  
><strong>


	6. Ch6:The Rum Shack

**Disclaimer:SM owns Twilight... but I have this :D which shall I say is so much better.**

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><p><strong>Ch6:The Rum Shack<br>**

Leah stood out on the balcony of her hotel room and inhaled. The sweet island air was intoxicating. From her balcony she could see the white sand beach and miles and miles of the brightest, more serene turquoise waters she had ever seen.

When she had visited Blake a few years back as a port of call on a cruise, she had only had a few hours to explore the island. She and her mother had taken a bus excursion that gave them a tour of just about the entire small island, from the lush inner island to the miles and miles of beaches.

The people were so friendly and the food, much like the food on the other Caribbean islands she had traveled to, was absolutely to die for. She had known then she would one day come back and stay for a longer period of time. She just didn't know that one of Blake's native sons, her archrival, would insinuate his way into her trip.

She exhaled and inhaled again remembering his scent that was still lingering on her since she spent a few hours close to him. _Jacob Black._

Her wolf was deliriously happy. Leah just smiled almost ruefully and wrapped her arms around herself. If anyone asked her she would say that her wolf was a hussy for Jacob Black.

She still remembered the first argument she had ever had with him, when she was a sophomore in college and full of wide-eyed optimism. He cornered her in the forest demanding to know what she was, even though he already knew. His scent had always been appealing to her, she could never read him and he gave wolfish tendencies whenever she had seen him around so she knew he wasn't completely human.

He didn't stop poking at her nerves until she had phased in front of him almost snapping off his neck in the process. He was lucky he had phased seconds after or he would have been severely hurt because at that point all she saw was red. Leah threatened that if he thought about telling anyone else that she would kill him. She wasn't normally prone to phasing over something as petty as an argument with other people who would challenge her. But her intense reactions to Jake always kept her just a little bit off-kilter.

Hearing the knock on her door, she left the balcony to go and answer it. She couldn't contain the grin that crossed her face when she saw Jake there.

He had said he would give her a driving tour of the inner island and take her to his mother's rum shack that evening. She doubted that she would find her potential fling partner in the rum shack, but she didn't want to be rude. And she also didn't want to rule out the chance that her fling could be waiting to be found in Jacob's mother's rum shack.

She had put on a light and airy maxi-style sundress in bold shades of red, orange and yellow with some red, medium heeled strappy sandals. She had pulled her hair up in a quick French twist with some loose tendrils around her face to relax the look. She was glad she had taken the time to shower and dress up a little when she got a look at him.

He wore a short sleeved, cream silk shirt and perfectly pressed cream linen shorts with a very expensive pair of brown leather sandals. The cream of his clothing and the warm, earthy russet tone of his skin combined to make one amazing package. The short sleeves of his shirt and the length of his shorts revealed just enough of his very muscular arms and legs. The bit of skin that she could see hinted at more and more muscles and more and more delectable skin.

She blinked as she tried to rid her mind of the image of those toned, muscular and very fit arms and legs wrapped up with her own arms and legs.

What would that feel like?

She shook her head as she smiled.

She would never know.

"Hi," was the only word she could come up with.

"Hey." He stared at her and for a minute she felt like time had ceased to move. His almond-shaped eyes seemed to caress her. She could feel his eyes movement on her skin as they roamed her body. She felt her pulse quicken as she noted the subtle rise and fall of his massive chest.

"Are you ready to ride around some of the island?"

"Yes let me grab my purse and we'll be good to go. I can't thank you enough for this Jake. I know I'm not your favorite person. So it means a lot to me that you are willing to give me a tour and help me find my way around the island."

"Like I told you before, it's definitely my pleasure. We have a lot to catch up on." His smile seemed genuine, and it put her mind at ease.

She followed him to his convertible, and he held the door open for her. Once they started rolling they let the silence speak. She didn't trust what she might say, and she had no idea what he was thinking. The way he had looked at her a few minutes ago made her feel hotter than she had ever felt for any man, ever.

That was a big problem.

_Massive._

No matter what kind of attraction they were feeling, there was still the fact that they didn't like one another. They may have called a tentative truce, but in reality she still didn't believe that he trusted her.

And she knew she would be a fool to trust him.

"If you look to your right you'll see one of the old sugar plantations. The government turned the mansion into a museum. And the land no longer produces crops for mass harvesting and sugar production. But tourists can come here and get the experience of chopping a piece of sugar cane, tour the old mills and refineries."

Leah smiled because she and her mother had toured the plantation as a part of their cruise excursion, and she had actually held a machete and chopped a piece of sugar cane.

"I did the tour during my short visit it was really informative. And the pictures and artifacts of the indigenous people…wow! What they must have gone through back then. It really breaks my heart." Leah shivered at the memory. Thinking about the way settlers had systematically murdered native island people and enslaved them to work on the island always made her sick inside.

"Yeah, there is a lot of rich and painful history on this small island." Jacob seemed a bit shaken by the cruelty of the history, as well. "Now, this area here is pretty much a small residential area. My mom and aunts have homes here. I had them built for them."

The homes were gorgeous. Some were built of white stones while others were coral pink and peach stones. They were one and two story homes with intricate island designs and were clearly meant to withstand hurricane seasons and look good while doing so.

"Did you grow up in this area of the island?"

"No. we lived in a much poorer section where mom still has her rum shack. No matter how much money I make and send her, that woman still won't give up her business." Jacob chuckled. "At least she took the house here and let me remodel her business. I wanted to build her a house near mine on the beach, but she wouldn't hear it."

"She sounds like my mom. My brother and his wife have been trying to get her to let them build her another house is Seattle, but she refuses to leave her little house in La Push. She's like, 'I worked my fingers to the bone to pay for it, and it's mine.'"

"Sounds like my mom. I had to build the house and have my sisters furnish it the way my mom would like it before she agreed to move into it."

"Our mom's seem to have a lot in common. I purchased a cruise for her a few years back—that was when I first visited Blake. Anyway, before that, she would never get on a plane and she darn sure wasn't getting on a boat and sailing across the ocean. She was of the, 'I was put on land and made from the earth. I'm going to stay on the ground until the good spirits see fit to have me returned back to the earth' school of thought. She wasn't trying to be in the air or in the sea." Leah laughed remembering her mother's colorful arguments about why the only thing she was getting in was a car and how she didn't totally trust those either.

"But I went and purchased a cruise for the two of us anyway, and my brother and I both talked her into going. Since she didn't want to see me waste my hard earned money she went. The only thing she couldn't stand worse than the thought of getting on a boat or a plane was wasting money. Now she takes at least one cruise a year, maybe even two. And my brother has my mom flying now. She's a regular jet-setter!"

Jacob chuckled at Leah's depiction of her mother. She sounded so much like his own mother. That woman had never stepped off of Blake because she refused to get on a plane or boat. Once again he felt a pang of guilt that came whenever he thought about her and the fact that he hadn't been with her when his gran had passed because he'd had a big merger to oversee at work.

"Looks like we both come from humble beginnings and have managed to do better for ourselves and our families." He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

The less he found himself identifying with the very tempting Leah Clearwater the better. She was probably the same as all the other scandalous women he had dealt with in the past, maybe even worse. She had actually beaten him before, and she might have done so by nefarious means. He still wasn't sure he bought the theory they had come up with on the plane.

Without proof of who took the picture and why, Leah and he had an uneasy truce, at best. He needed to keep that firmly in mind.

Jacob parked the car beside his two story home located on a private beach.

They had driven around the island chatting and had pretty much forgotten about the tour part of it. They were just riding, talking and letting the island breeze entice them with the possibilities that lay ahead.

"This is my home. I usually stay here when I visit. I don't get to make it back home often, but it's still nice to have a place that's all mine on the island." He turned to her and smiled. "Would you like a quick tour of my home before we go to my mom's spot?"

He could see that she seemed to be at war with herself as she tried to decide how she was going to answer his question.

He smiled as he watched her put one foot in front of the other, slowly.

Did she dare walk willingly into his lair?

Things were not going exactly as Jacob had planned. He had offered to show Leah around his small island in hopes that spending time with her would either get him to come to his senses and not want to pursue her _or _get her to see that the man she needed to be having an affair with was him. His mind fluctuated between the two, and he was determined to find some type of closure or solace in one or the other.

Her dress, however, wasn't helping him keep a clear head.

He never would have thought that something so long and flowing could look so damn sexy. But it was kind of low cut. And it did show her beautiful, long, elegant arms. And her hands… her hands with that neat and proper French manicure that gave no hint at all that when your eyes traveled to her pretty little feet you'd find blazing red nails on the toes sticking out of those sexy sandals.

Man, he had it bad.

He just hoped it didn't come back to bite him in the behind. And now he was inviting her into his sanctuary, a place sacred to him even though he barely ever came here, a place where the only other women who had ever set foot in had been relatives. He had a feeling the place would never be the same again once Leah stepped inside. But damned if he could stop his hand from reaching out for hers and leading her inside.

He let her walk slightly ahead of him and watched the gentle sway of her hips as she made her way through the entryway. He shook his head an again he wondered if he was doing the right thing. Maybe he should just call things off and let her fend for herself this week. No need to tempt fate and give Leah Clearwater the chance to get the better of him yet again.

He cleared his throat. "I don't spend a lot of time here at all. In fact, it's been several months since my last trip home, for my grandmother's funeral. The job kept me really busy. But I always knew I had this place to come to whenever I needed a break."

"I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your grandmother, Jacob." Leah reached out and stroked his arm.

She smiled at him as she looked around his home. "This place is absolutely amazing. How do you manage to stay away? If I had a place like this overlooking that beautiful beach, I would be here every single day." Leah walked around, taking in the sparsely decorated room.

He had gone for a minimalist design because the real beauty came from outside of the home. There were several open, airy areas and lots of windows. The furniture was all white with bold splashes of earth tones—from clay to deep mahogany—acting as accents. A white sectional sofa flanked the living room, and the walls were all off-white with a few select Caribbean-inspired paintings gracing them.

They walked through his home in silence. She marveled at various points along the way. Her eyes were appreciative, and her smile seemed to make the already bright and airy home even brighter. As he surveyed his home through her eyes, he couldn't help pondering her earlier question and wondering why he didn't make a point of coming home more often.

When they reached his bedroom she touched the king size mahogany four poster bed and grinned.

"Okay, that has to be the most comfortable looking bed I have ever seen. How do you manage to keep all this white clean? You must be some secret kind of neat freak because I know your wolf couldn't be this clean."

He grinned back at her feeling more at ease than he should have. It was on the tip of his tongue to invite her to try out the bed and see how comfortable it really was. He imagined her spread out on the plush white comforter. He knew if he actually saw her in his bed, they wouldn't make it to his mother's rum shack. So he tried his best to get the image out of his head.

"Actually, I'm not really that neat. I'm hardly here, and when I am here, the white furnishings make me extra careful."

She giggled. "That bed is so plush it makes you want to just dive into it, like a cloud or something."

He could see diving in all right, and it wasn't her into his bed but rather him into her.

He shook his head. "So, we should probably head on out to my mom's place. I should warn you, it's not very fancy. But the people are really nice and the food is the best you'll probably get on the entire island. There is a small dance floor and some nights she even has karaoke."

"Sounds like fun, especially the food part. I'm kind of a food whore." She rubbed her virtually nonexistent belly.

For some reason he held out his hand for her again, and she took it he felt the electric charge again. As they walked out his home hand in hand, he knew it was going to be a long week.

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><p>As soon as they walked into Jacob's mother's rum shack, Leah relaxed. It was jam-packed with people, and everyone was just casually having fun. Some people were at the bar having drinks, others were at tables eating, talking and playing cars. Some people were even on the very small dance floor swaying to the music that wafted from the back corner of the dance floor where a deejay was playing.<p>

Judging from the fresh paint outside, the beautiful sign that read Sarah's Rum Shack and the artfully decorated interior, Jacob's mom must have let him spend a good bit of money on decorating and upkeep. The place was small but stylish. It wasn't the typical dive.

The color scheme and décor were warm and welcoming, with soothing greens and blues making up the bulk of the walls. The space was accented in bold oranges and reds. The tables, chairs and barstools were all a deep cherrywood. The floor was a bleach-blond plank that made the other colors pop. Pictures of various artists graced the walls. Some of them were signed, and a woman who must have been Jacob's mom was in some of them with the famous singers.

"Well, look what the cat drug in. I haven't seen this one since Jesus was a baby. How are you Jake?" An older gentleman with a mix of black and gray hair stood up as they entered and walked over. He shook Jake's hand and they embraced.

"Billy, it's good to see you, as always. I'm fine. It's good to be home. This is my friend Leah." Jacob moved aside so that Leah could shake Billy's hand.

"Hold the phone! My son brought a woman home? Get out! Well, I don't believe it!" A tall, plump woman in a beautiful tropical colored silk short set came running from behind the counter carrying a white terry cloth towel with her. "Brady, watch the bar while I go and check this out for myself, because I don't believe it."

"Sarah, you're going to embarrass the boy. No wonder he never brings any girls home for you to see." Billy shook his head as he made his way back to his seat at the bar.

"Mind your own business! This is my son. If I want to embarrass him from here to the country side of Blake, I can do it. I'm the one who went through a whole day of labor to bring him into this world." Jacob's mother smiled at Billy before turning her attention back to Jake and Leah.

Jake pulled his mother into his arms. "Don't start, ma. You know dad is the only one who can put up with your mood swings. If he gets tired of you, what other man will have you?"

Sarah squeezed Jake in her arms before popping him upside the head with her cloth. "How can you come here with your girlfriend and not give me any warning? You know I have to fix myself up to meet my future daughter in law—"

"Ohhhhhhhhhh noooooooooo!" Leah found the correction falling out of her moth before his mother could even finish what she was saying. "We are just friends… I mean, we're not dating or anything like that." She was shaking her head so profusely she hoped her French twist didn't fall out.

Sarah gave her a once over. "She's pretty though. Sweet enough, but not too sweet on you, it seems, my handsome son. Not too bright though… if she doesn't see what a catch you are!" Sarah chuckled and shrugged. "I like her though. If only she knew she's the first woman you ever brought here, so that must mean you have designs on her that she doesn't know about."

Sarah laughed a deep belly laugh that would have been contagious and made Leah join her if she didn't have a gut feeling the laugh was on her.

Jacob had turned to look at Leah when she blurted out her very loud "Ohhhh noooo," and Billy was watching her closely too. In fact, it seemed like all the eyes in the small rum shack were now firmly planted on Leah.

"Leah's just a friend, Ma." Jacob's voice was picking up more of the island cadence as he interacted with his mom. "I went to school with her and met up with her on the plane. She's a newbie, and I felt it was only hospitable for me to show her around our beautiful island. Everyone, this is Leah Clearwater from Seattle. Leah this is everybody."

Sarah eyed her son suspiciously. "Sure okay. If you say so."

She took Leah's arm. "So, Leah Clearwater from Seattle, come to the bar and let me chat with you for a bit. I need to learn everything I can about you just in case…"

"Ma…" Jake warned.

Sarah gave him a slight glare. "What? I just want to get to know the girl like I know all my customers here in my shack. Leave me alone before I kick you out."

Jacob laughed at that as he followed Sarah and Leah to the bar. "You wouldn't kick your only beloved son out of here."

Sarah laughed. "In a heartbeat, you rascal!" She reached out her other arm and pulled Jake along with her. She sat with them side by side at the bar and started walking toward the back room. "I'm going to fix you each a plate, and then I'm coming back to learn about Miss Leah from Seattle."

Billy moved from his previous seat and came and sat on the other side of Leah. The older man took a sip of his drink and then asked. "So how long you staying son?"

"I'll be home for two weeks. Long enough for you all to get good and tired of me." Jake chuckled.

Billy nodded. "That's good. It's good to have you back."

Jacob nodded, too. "Good to be back."

Sarah came out with two plates of steaming hot food that smelled heavenly. Leah tried to strategize a way that could tear into her food and still maintain some kind of cuteness but there was just no way. The scents of curry, cumin and spicy peppers assaulted her nose, and her mouth had to strike back.

She dug in right away. But at least she also got around to telling Sarah that the food was delicious and thanking her for it before she was too far gone.

"Nothing like a woman who can appreciate a good meal," Billy offered with a wide grin.

"Yes, I like Leah from Seattle," Sarah seemed to be studying her with appreciation. "So, Leah, you know my son from his college days, huh?"

Leah swallowed and wiped her hands on her napkin even though she wanted to lick the juices of the delicious food off her fingers.

"Yes, he was a little ahead of me. But we were both at SPU around the same time. We had a little rivalry going though. So we weren't exactly the best of friends." She took another bite of her food while she could.

"What? A woman on this earth who didn't like my baby?" Sarah let loose on of her laughs again. "Now, that's a first. This boy had had women and girls running after him ever since he was twelve, maybe even eleven." Sarah went behind the bar and fixed Jacob a drink. "What are you drinking Leah?"

"I'll take a Dandy in the bottle is fine." Leah noticed that both Sarah and Jake's eyes lit up when she asked for the island's locally brewed beer.

"Well look at her. Jake, I thought you said she was a newbie and didn't know anything about Blake! Look at how she's coming in here just as smooth as she pleases asking for our beer!" Sarah chuckled as she pulled out a nice frosty bottle of Dandy, opened it and placed it in front of Leah.

"What do you know about it?" Jake laughed. "Dandy may sound like a light and fun drink, but it's not like those weak newbie beers. You better watch yourself. We make them strong here."

Leah let her eye wander to his bulky and very muscular forearms and thought, _you aint never lied._

"So, Leah, tell us a little more about how you know Jake. You met in school and you didn't care for him too tough, huh? What happened next, he wore you down and you dated for a while before breaking up, and then you saw each other on the plane and realized that you wasted too much time apart—"

Laughing, Jacob shook his head. "Ma, you need to lay off the soap operas. It's not even that deep. She's just a friend."

"Exactly! Really-really new friends at that…" Leah felt the need to clarify further. "I mean… well… we're just starting to build a friendship after years of not liking one another. I don't even know why he's being nice to me. I almost think he's setting up some kind of trap. That's what he did when we were in college and I ran against him for student government president."

Sarah's eyes went wide, and she pointed at Leah with her mouth open. "Hey, hey, wa-it! Are you the one who beat my baby in the election for student government president in college?" Sarah seemed to be momentarily awed. "Well, I never thought I would meet you. You had my son so distraught. He had never lost anything at all until he lost that election to you."

Leah took a swallow of her beer and gulped.

_Uh-oh_ was all she could think as felt Jake stiffen beside her.

She hadn't known it had been _that _serious for Jake. She almost felt a little guilty that she had beaten him. _Almost._

"Personally I think it was good for him to finally lose something. He needed to see that he didn't have to win all the time." Sarah opined.

"I don't believe this! My own mother…" Jake's eyes were wide with feigned shock. "This is a sad day, people of Blake, a say day, indeed."

Leah laughed. "Clearly, the universe had to send a little message to Mr. Overachiever and used me to do it."

Jake glared at Leah when his mother let out another belly-busting laugh.

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger." Leah placed her hands up in mock innocence before going back to her plate of food.

After she polished off the plate of rice and peas, fried flying fish and fried plantains, she couldn't help rubbing her stomach in satisfaction. "This food was amazing. You're going to have me coming back here every night for dinner! This probably the best food I've ever had, and I eat bunches, so that's saying a lot."

"Thank you, Leah. You can come back anytime you want. You're always welcome here. And call me Sarah. Now tell me, what can we do to make you like my knuckleheaded son? He's really hardheaded and can work your nerves more than a little bit. But I think you're just the one that can finally tame the _so-called _'wolf'" Sarah let out another laugh and reached over to touch Jake's face lovingly.

Jacob allowed his mother to stroke his cheek, and Leah thought it was the most endearing thing she had ever seen. She smiled at the two of them. Mother and son, it was too cute!

When Jake looked at Leah, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. If she wasn't so attuned to him, she might have missed it. His expression was a mixture of the desire she had seen a while back, a hint of irritation and something else she couldn't name.

"Well, Ma, if Leah thinks she's up for the task. I'm more than willing to see if she can _really _tame me." Jacob offered his sexy, cocky little smile-sneer thing along with that look of his.

This time she could clearly name the something else she saw in his gaze…

_Challenge!_

The only question was… was she really up for taking on his challenge?

* * *

><p><strong>Super long chapter couldn't stop writing for some reason. And I felt like Sarah never gets enough love in a majority of the stories so she got half the chapter. I had fun playing with her character. <strong>

**Anyways I'm taking myself to sleep just wanted to update this.**

**Alert**

**Smile**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter :)  
><strong>

**Review :D **


	7. Ch7:And Yet Another Truce

**I don't own it, if I did well you already know... **

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><p><strong>Ch7:And Yet Another Truce<br>**

Jacob watched Leah on the small dance floor with his mother, dad, and a few customers. She was teaching them how to do the cupid shuffle of all things!

He couldn't remember the last time he had seen his mother dance. She looked happy, and he supposed he should be happy about that. And he would have been if Leah didn't have the entire rum shack, filled with all his friends and family members, eating out of the palms of her hands, her sexy, sexy warm little hands.

Watching them all doing the cupid shuffle was just that margin over too damn much… He had watched the line dance craze take off when the "Electric Boogie" came on, and he tolerated it when his mother pulled Leah onto the dance floor and they all did the electric slide. He grinned and bore it when Leah got the deejay to put on another song so she could teach them all another line dance. But when she had the deejay find "Cupid Shuffle" and taught them the dance…well… that had been the last straw.

His mom and everyone else seemed to love Leah, and Leah seemed to be having the time of her life. Jacob was irritated and frustrated, and he couldn't figure out Leah or how he felt about her. He was still vacillating between putting the past behind them and pursuing her or keeping his hard won and well-nourished resentment firmly in mind not trusting her as far as he could see her.

The only problem was what he could see of her bouncing happily around the dance floor looked too damn sexy and made him want her too damn much.

He took a sip of his drink just as the "Cupid Shuffle" went off and saw Leah get twirled into the arms of Embry Call as a fast paced song came on. He was one of Jake's good friends that he grew up with. Embry was taller than Leah by a good four inches. He didn't know about Jake's secret. No one on the island knew except his parents and a few stray vamps that always got taken care of. But the fact that he was touching her and Leah was allowing him to do so, put Jake further on edge. Jake was hoping that she would slap Embry or push him away or at the very least give him one of the glares that Jake always seemed to be on the receiving end of.

But she just gave Embry a soft, sweet smile, a real one, causing Jake to almost shatter the glass bottle in his hand.

_That should be me receiving that smile._

Jake downed the rest of his drink and placed it on the counter behind him without taking his eyes off Leah. She had her arms around his neck as she swayed her hips from side to side as Embry lowered his head and whispered something in her ear as he pulled her in closer by grabbing her hips. Leah shook her head and tilted her head back as she began to laugh. Her scent that Jake was already addicted to spiked to a whole new level causing Jake's mouth to go dry. He thought she had smelled absolutely delightful before but now…

Jake didn't even pay any attention to his old friend opting to watch Leah instead. It was taking everything in Jake to remain rooted in his seat as he watched her long copper neck lean back a bit as she was still laughing and smiling.

Her neck was just there for the taking!

Jacob took a heavy breath to calm down. The song was almost over and Embry leaned down to whisper something else before Leah nodded beaming. Jake never thought she looked as beautiful as she had in that moment and he wasn't even the one she was speaking to. His wolf was extremely angry and jealous. Embry was touching his Leah.

_Whoa, did I seriously just say my Leah._

Jake huffed in irritation as he watched Embry leaned down to kiss her cheek before he pulled her close in an embrace. Leah smiled and nodded again before she watched him walk out of the rum shack.

As soon as he was out of view Leah laughingly tried to make her way over to the deejay again. Jake took the opportunity to jump out of his seat and moved to where she was using every bit of the speed he had in him before she could tell the man to play whatever she was going to tell him to play. Embry wasn't going to get another opportunity to dance with her. In fact no guy was but him.

"How about a slow jam Collin?" Jacob asked the deejay.

Then he pulled Leah into his arms before she could complain and held her close as the deejay put on a slower song.

His mother rolled her eyes at him and was making her way back to the bar when his dad pulled her into his arms.

Sarah and Billy whispered to one another and laughed as they danced and watched Jake and Leah. Jacob really hoped that one day his mother would give in and break away from whatever it was making her too scared to accept Billy's many proposals in marriage.

She had three children with Billy so far, with Jake being the last out of three. Jake didn't understand why his mom still didn't want to marry him though, Billy didn't seem to be going anywhere either.

"Hey, I was about to teach everybody the cha cha slide since Embry left." Leah complained, but she didn't pull away from him. If anything, she melded closer into his arms. Now that he had her in his arms her scent that he could smell across the room was even more amazing. Only when he leaned down to inhale her neck did his wolf finally calm down in his head a bit.

"Embry is a non-factor. I don't want to talk about him or any other guy for that matter when you're with me." Jake wanted to growl but he managed to keep it down.

Leah laughed. "I'm not with you."

"Technically you are." he squeezed her exactly where Embry had touched her to erase his friend's touch as he changed the subject. "And on the whole dancing thing you can teach them another time. Don't think my mother will let you leave this island without coming back to see her. My family really seems to like you, Leah."

"Well, I hate to be conceited, but most people do tend to like me, Jake. I'm highly likeable if you couldn't tell. If a person doesn't like me, then that person, nine times out of ten, has issues." She quipped.

He narrowed his eyes at that until he saw telltale smirk on her face that said she was probably joking. He laughed and pulled her closer. "So, what's this nonsense with you going out of your way to downplay our friendship to my folks?"

"What? We barely like each other. We're bitter rivals and probably will remain bitter rivals until the end of time. The only thing keeping us from a fight to the death is that the stakes of a student government president campaign from years ago just aren't that high. But I know you didn't really mean it when you said we had a truce."

"Yeah?" Jake wanted to nuzzle his head into her neck as he watched her lick her lips. "And how do you know that?"

Her smile radiated sunshine and warmed him from the inside out. "Because I didn't mean it. I still blame you for that picture and for using that kiss and obvious slip of my standards to ruin me." She tried to pull away, clearly trying to escape.

But there was no way he was going to let her get away with that little whopper. He pulled her closer and stared down at her. "So basically we are back where we started? You really believe that I orchestrated the whole thing. I planned to kiss you and had someone waiting to take a picture? And then I planned to use it to somehow try and beat you in the campaign?"

"Yes. After all, you kiss me. I didn't kiss you." She poked him in the chest.

This was getting interesting.

He stared at her, licking his lips at the memory. "Oh, you kissed me back, little Leah. I damn sure remember you kissing me back. Let's talk about this outside where there aren't so many ears around."

* * *

><p>Leah felt the cool island breeze coming over her but it didn't bother her in the slightest in fact it felt rather nice. She could hardly maintain her indignation at Jacob. He was sooo irritating. Why'd he have to make her dance with him and all that?<p>

She had been doing a great job pretty much for the most part, forgetting he even existed.

_Well almost._

How could she really forget with him sitting at the bar, watching her with that look of challenge in his eyes? When she couldn't see him because she was looking at Embry she could feel Jake. That smooth, sexy predator thing he had going was pretty hard to forget.

Leah had to admit that Embry could be an option for her island fling. He was sexy from head to toe. He was taller than her which was always a plus. His grin was almost to die for and his eyebrows… she never knew that eyebrows could look so sexy until she had seen him. Even though she didn't feel the electric spark when he touched her, he was definitely safer than Jacob. And he did have a dangerous side to him even though she knew he was human. When he whispered he had to go Leah was disappointed but he promised if she came back to the rum shack he would see her again.

Leah could feel how genuine Embry was from the few things he leaned down to whisper to her. He was a perfect gentleman with a hint of bad boy to him. Absolutely what she needed. She could feel the jealousy oozing off of Jacob when she had looked at him for a few moments.

Now Jacob had her standing outside of the rum shack, away from all her new found friends and allies.

"I don't know why you want us to rehash this again and again if you're not going to admit to what you did." She crossed her arms and glared at him.

He sneered. "Because, now that I think about it, I remember more about that night. If your silly soror Emily hadn't gotten a guilty conscience and called Jared, we wouldn't have even gotten the picture in the first place!" He gave her a pointed stare. "She gave us the pictures because, and I quote, 'I felt what the sorors were doing was wrong and I wanted to try and make amends.'"

"Yeah, right. Emily was the one who gave us the pictures and let us know what you all were planning. She said she had a momentary slip and fell for Jared's apologies and found the pictures in his dorm room after she heard you guys hatching your plan."

Suddenly back in that moment, Leah realized that Emily was the only one who knew about the meeting with Jacob. Emily had been acting as Leah's campaign manager and had set up the meeting.

"Emily." Leah muttered the name at the same time as Jacob did, and they found themselves staring at one another again.

"Emily set it up." Jake mumbled.

"Yea, but she couldn't have known that we were going to kiss. I mean, we didn't even know. There is no way she could have planned that." That was the part that still troubled her.

"You're right. She couldn't have. But she was supposed to meet us there along with my campaign manager. We were all supposed to going over the debate." Jake's eyes narrowed, and he rubbed his chin in contemplation.

"After the kiss you ran off, and I hung around to let Emily and Mike knew that we would have to reschedule. Emily never showed. But Mike did eventually. I'm thinking Emily showed up when we were kissing and took the pictures then."

"Sounds plausible. I guess." Leah frowned. She didn't like the idea that one of her sorority sisters, her cousin no less, could have set her up like that.

"It sounds more than plausible. The only question is, did you have anything to do with it?" Jake mumbled.

"What? You mean, did _you _have anything to do with it?"

"I didn't, and I don't think you did, either. I think we should call another truce." Jake held out his hand. "So how about the two of us form a truce _for real _this time. I feel somewhat comfortable stating that the election and my legacy were roadkill in the Emily/Jared crash of love."

Leah took his hand, and a charge of electricity coursed through her. It felt so sweet. She shook his hand and smiled.

"Good." Jake used his hold on her hand to pull her forward. "Because I have been waiting all night to do this." His head swooped down and his lips connected with hers.

She felt her lips heat almost immediately, and that heat covered her from head to toe as she opened her mouth to his kiss.

She thought for about a millisecond that she should be resisting this kiss, that she shouldn't be giving in so readily and so completely to Jacob's very impressive mouth. Unfortunately, she thought that as her hands inched their way up his chest and onto his shoulders. Before she could mount up even the most basic rationale for why she needed to run away from the rum shack as fast as her feet could take her, she was already leaning into his muscular body, feeling the all too real impression of his need for her pressing against her. With one touch of his lips she was already in too far— and her hussy wolf side didn't care.

Because this kiss… this kiss made that other kiss they had shared in college seem like child's play. In that other kiss she saw stars. In this kiss, she could have sworn she was seeing universes, freaking galaxies. In that other kiss, she had been a little nineteen year old, shocked that the big man on campus was showing her a hint of attention. But in this kiss, she was a grown ass woman ready to show the big man a thing or two herself.

She pressed in farther and twirled her tongue in his mouth, using it like a heat seeking missile. And every inch of him was hot. The electric shocks that she had felt when she touched his hand felt like they were racing through her body. It made her feel so alive and invigorated. And his lips were like soft cushions that grounded the charge of the kiss and kept her from exploding or rocketing into the stratosphere.

His lips pressed and pulled and puckered in just the right way, at just the right time. All she could do to counter the impact was draw him farther into her, devour everything he was giving her and delight in being able to do so. When his hands traveled down her back and landed on her behind, pulling her closer, she tried to get even closer still. She moved her hands from his neck, across his shoulders and down his muscular arms. She had been thinking about touching those arms all evening, even when she was in the arms of another man. She felt her nipples tighten, and they strained through the material of her dress as if they were trying to get closer to him.

It was as if her nipples knew what the rest of her body seemed to be screaming.

He felt good.

Kissing him was too damn good. It was too much. She didn't know if she could take any more.

She pulled her tongue away, and he tightened his grip on her behind as he softly nipped her bottom lip, pulling it before he dived back into her mouth and found her tongue. Their tongues danced, and she was pretty sure she could have continued kissing him forever.

"Jake! They said you were back, but I didn't believe it. I just knew there was no way you would set foot back on the island and not give me a call, cousin."

She managed to pull away from Jake at the sound of that male voice.

Jake pulled her back and held her close as he glared at his cousin for a moment. "I was going to call you, man. I've been busy. Quil, this is Leah. Leah this is my cousin Quil. He has always had the worst timing, and I see that hasn't changed." Jake let her go for a moment to embrace his cousin.

The two men hugged quickly before Quil turned to her.

"I can see why my cousin is so irritated with me right now. Hello, Leah you look gorgeous." He held out his hand.

"Thanks." She took his hand.

He kissed her hand after staring into her eyes for a few moments. "Nice to meet you, Leah. I'm going to go inside and get some food. I'm sure my cousin would like to get back to what he was doing."

They watched Quil head back into the rum shack, and Jake pulled her back into his arms. Thankfully, Quil's appearance had given her time to clear her head, and she was not going to allow a repeat of the kissing.

Jake traced her kiss swollen lips with his thumb ever so gently and oh, so seductively. She took in a sharp breath and already forgetting the intrusive, interrupting Quil and her vow not to kiss Jake again. His thumb felt amazing on her mouth and it made her wonder what his other fingers could do to other parts of her body. She shivered at the thought.

"So I guess all that, 'Ohhh, nooo! I don't like Jake. I could never like Jake. Ohhh, noo! I'm not attracted to that egomaniac, Jake' was just an act." Jake took creative license with her words as he mimicked her. His eyes were still hooded and sill sexy, but his voice, the one that just a few minutes earlier could have talked her into even more daring public displays of affection, now had an edge to it that dropped sarcasm.

Leah's eyes narrowed as she ripped herself out of his arms and away from him and his stupid sexy thumb. "Do you mean you did all that kissing me just to try and prove some kind of point? Or to prove I was lying when I told your mother that there was nothing going on between us?"

"I'm saying you didn't have to be so quick and forceful and outright indignant with your outrage and denial! Really, Leah I do have feelings." He playfully tried to pull her back into his arms.

She sidestepped him. He had given her the wake up call she needed. Never trust The Wolf.

_Never, ever, ever, trust The Wolf…_

He chuckled and placed his arm around her shoulder. "Don't get all salty now, Leah. I didn't get salty when you danced with one of my good friends. And I definitely didn't get salty when you acted like being in a relationship with me would be the equivalent of being in a relationship with a leech."

"No you didn't get mad. You just got even by once again using a kiss to make some kind of score. I bet your 'good friend' Embry wouldn't have done that." She smirked.

His nostrils flared. "I asked you not to bring him up again."

Leah shrugged. "You brought him up first Black! Just admit it you're trying to play a game to level the score."

Jake threw up his hands. "Oh, please tell me we're not back on that again."

"No, we're not, because we have to put it behind us and form a truce. But im just making note of the fact that there seems to be a pattern to your kisses, Jake. That's all."

"Yes, and that pattern is, I really like kissing you and it really irritates me when you try and ignore or deny the attraction between us." Jake's voice got very deep and seductive.

_Well, I definitely wasn't expecting that declaration…_

Speechless, Leah just swallowed and glanced around the rum shack's parking lot.

Jake shook his head. "Let's just go and enjoy the rest of the evening. And tomorrow, I'll take you on a real tour of the island. We didn't cover a lot tonight."

"Oh, you don't need to do that. I know you have family to connect with and I think I may have someone else to help me with the whole touring the island thing."

Although she didn't get Embry's number he did say he would be at the rum shack for breakfast, lunch and dinner so if she came back she had a chance of seeing him again.

Jake let out a low guttural growl causing Leah to back up a bit before he shook his head. "I _insist_. Now come on, I want to spend the rest of the evening dancing with you and having fun. Do you think you can handle that, rival of mine?"

She smirked. "I can handle it. The real question is can _you_ handle it? You're a few years older. You might not be able to hang." She trotted off into the rum shack, looking back at him to catch his response.

"Oh, Leah you are a challenge aren't you…" his voice trailed off, and she wasn't sure what to make of it.

Was it the competition for who could dance longer that caused that sultry expression to cross his face or some other challenge that had his jaw set and ready to win?

And did she even stand a chance?

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><p><strong>Yeeeee Embry... Le sighh.. I kept playing with him being a wolf also but it just wasn't coming off right<strong>

**But he might possibly come back :) Knowing my love for him though that possibly will turn into a WILL come back**

**But anyways LC's Room wont be updated for another day because I'm caught between school, work, and reading all of you guys wonderful stories too!  
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** I love this site!  
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**Review! :D  
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	8. Ch8:Strategic Honesty

**Disclaimer as it usually stands, SM owns all the good stuff I just get to play with them for a little bit :D**

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><p><strong>Ch8:Strategic Honesty<br>**

Leah must have tossed and turned the entire night after that scalding kiss with Jake. Her nipples seemed to be perpetually swollen. Her body remained piqued and ready to tumble over into bliss with just one touch of him. After she finally tumbled into a restless sleep, she found that it wasn't long before the alarm clock was waking her up. She dragged herself out of bed and managed to make herself look somewhat presentable, camouflaging the majority of the telltale sleep-deprivation signs with a little foundation. Needless, to say, she wasn't all that pleased when she opened her door to find a well-rested Jacob Black ready to take her on a tour.

Leah couldn't believe he appeared to be so unaffected by everything. She vividly remembered their brush with desire and the restless night of sleep it caused her. She was almost afraid to spend more time alone with him.

Yet he stood in her doorway, confident, strong, sexy and willful. He almost seemed to dare her with his very presence!

The daring nature of his stance must have jump started something in her. Her competitive streak refused to be stifled. She decided to take him up on his dare. How much harm could a little sight-seeing trip do, anyway?

She smiled at him and batted her eyelashes. "Good morning Jake." She poured on demure like it was a new perfume.

"Morning, Leah. Are you ready for your proper tour of Blake? I promise to do a better job of it this time. Today is all about you and showing you the best and brightest of Blake."

"Great, let me grab my bag and we can get started." Leah walked over to the bed and made a show of bending to pick up her purse. She heard a slightly strangled sound coming from Jake's throat and thought maybe he wasn't as unaffected as he appeared to be.

_Good!_

The first stop on their tour of the island was the crystal caves known as Blake's Diamond Cove. The subterranean caverns sparkled with what looked like chandeliers of icicles dripping from the ceilings. The effect of the crystallized stone and the water underneath made walking through the underground cave an almost magical experience.

It was so captivating that Leah found herself holding Jake's hand as they walked through.

"That was absolutely amazing." Leah exclaimed as they exited the cavern.

"If you thought that was amazing, wait until you see what's up next." Jake said as they made their way to his sports car.

She happily took in the sights as they drove in his sporty rental. Growing up in Washington, she had thought she was used to tropical beauty. But Blake was truly in a class all by itself. The palm trees, beautiful flowers and exotic looking birds made her feel like she was in some kind of fantasy. And, truth be told, the man driving her around and showing her the sights was playing a big part in the island fantasy. With the top down and the breeze blowing through her hair, she hardly had a care in the world until he pulled up in front of a sign that read, "The Reptile Farm."

He parked the car and got out, but she didn't move.

He must have lost his living mind.

That was the only reason she could think of to explain why he thought it was okay to bring her to a place with a bunch of snakes.

He walked over and opened her door. She remained in the car.

Chivalry be damned!

She was not going into a reptile farm.

"What's wrong? You don't want to see one of the main highlights of Blake? Tourists love to come here and hold the snakes, pet the iguanas. You don't want to come in? They serve the best grilled rattlesnake you've ever tasted. You have to cook it until it's well done or it's still poisonous, but it's really good. And it's so cool to be able to say you actually ate rattlesnake."

She just stared at him.

_Yep. He's crazy. He has lost his ever loving mind. Poor thing._

He reached out his hand. "Come on, don't be scared. You'll like it. I promise I won't let any snakes get you."

"Jake, I'm not scared I turn into a scary creature myself. But I'm not going in there. No how. No way. Forget about it. It aint gonna happen." Leah crossed her arms over her breasts and smiled at him. "I hear there is a beautiful butterfly farm. We can certainly go and check that out."

"The butterfly farm? Seriously? That's so…" his face scrunched up as he shuddered. "girly. I don't think I've ever been to the butterfly farm." He frowned. "You'll love the reptile farm. I'm telling you—"

"Seriously." Leah cut him off with a smile. "I know I _won't _love it. I would be willing to put money on that fact. I don't like snakes. I don't even like to see them on TV or read about them in books. The only way you would get me in that place is to drag me in there, and I would dig my heels and claw the dirt with my bare hands to keep you from doing that. So… " she looked down for a second before bringing her eyes back up to innocently meet his, "butterflies?"

Jake shook his head and called her all kinds of girlie-girl names as he got back in the car and they drove off.

When they pulled up to the butterfly farm he grumbled as he opened the door. "And you better not tell a soul that I set foot in this place. Butterflies!" he scoffed. "Give me a freaking break."

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><p>Jake had to admit the butterfly farm wasn't so bad. Sure, he would have preferred the reptiles. He used to love visiting the reptile farm the couple of times he had gone there as a kid.<p>

The entire place was like a miniature tropical rain forest enclosed in mesh. There were so many trees and flowers and all kinds of exotic butterflies flying all over the place. And the joy on Leah's face when she let one land on her finger was worth the chance that someone might have actually seen him there.

It was also very educational. They got to see the various stages of a butterfly's life cycle, from egg to caterpillar to pupa to adult butterflies. It was rather amazing to see, even if it wasn't as cool as holding a snake in your hands.

Jake had to admit that doing the tourist thing and seeing his island home through Leah's eyes made him value Blake even more. It really was a beautiful island. In his mind, Blake always represented the very best that the Caribbean had to offer, and it was great to see someone else appreciating it.

After the butterflies, they decided to change into their swim wear and take in one of Blake's many beaches. He took her to one that not many tourists visited because he wanted to be able to enjoy her by himself for a while. As crazy as it seemed, he was genuinely starting to like Leah Clearwater.

Her aversion to reptiles aside, she was actually pretty cool.

Waiting for her to come out of the ladies changing area, he contemplated what it meant that he was starting to let his guard down with her. It shouldn't have been that much of a risk.

He looked up and his mouth dropped open.

When she came out of the dressing room in her red bikini that gave a new meaning to itsy-bitsy, he knew how much of a risk he was taking. He was in big trouble and damn if he cared.

She was staring at his chest. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was partially open. He reckoned he wasn't the only in trouble. The only question was, what were they going to do about it?

He couldn't help it. He flexed a little. He let his pecs move and silently thanked the Gods with gifting him a body a lot of men almost died for. When he saw her swallow and gulp, he sent up another note of thanks to the Gods.

"You're really serious about this fling thing, huh? Because even if you weren't looking, I can promise you that you would find one wearing that bikini." He said his words slowly and deliberately, and her eyes moved from his chest to his face.

Her eyes narrowed, and smiled her devilish little smile. He braced himself, because he knew his Leah was up to no good when she smiled like that.

_Oh no, not that again. _

_His Leah?_

She put her hands on her hips, striking a pose. "This old thing? You think I can land me a willing man in this little old number?"

It was his turn to swallow and gulp when she did a spin and he got a look at that bikini from behind. She had a rather medium sized tatoo at the small of her back that he hadn't taken notice to before, but the intricate designs had to be from her tribe he was sure of it.

Thank God he'd had the foresight to take her to one of the more private beaches, because clearly this woman was trying to start a riot. He was torn between wrapping his towel around her, throwing her in the car, taking her home and making sweet love to her or finding a secluded spot on the beach and making sweet love to her.

The only thing he knew for certain was that if Leah Clearwater was serious about having a fling in Blake, she wasn't going to have it with anyone but him.

For some reason, submitting to the inevitable was a freeing thing. He realized that he could enjoy their time on the beach—indeed, enjoy the rest of the day—with Leah without even touching her. Because before it was all over, before she stepped onto the plane to Seattle, Leah Clearwater would be his.

He reached out his hand and she took it. He felt that shock of electricity that he always felt when he touched her, and this time it didn't throw him off at all. He welcomed it like a balm.

He smiled. "Yes, that little old thing. You're trying to cause riots."

He could have sworn he saw her blush.

"You know, Jacob Black, you're actually a pretty okay guy. I think I could _almost _like you." She stuck out her tongue.

He was pretty sure she did it to try and keep the confession that she liked him on a playful level. But he already knew the deal. Playtime was over. He just had to figure out when he was going to apprise her of that.

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><p>After spending the day seeing the island and hanging out with Jake, Leah knew she was treading into some pretty dangerous territory. As she sat in her hotel room waiting for him to come pick her up for a night of dinner and dancing, she knew that even if they had decided to put their past differences and that student government election behind them, she was still in trouble. Her heart still remembered what happened the last time she let her guard down around him.<p>

He was the one guy who made her forget the childhood vow to never let any man get close enough to hurt her. And most of the guys she dated never really had a chance to get close.

She had picked them for that reason. Her "type" had never really been her _type_. They were just safety nets for her heart.

But there was something about Jake. From the first time she had met him in the student government office at SPU and they got into their first disagreement about how the student fees allocated to student government could be used most efficiently, she knew he had the ability to get under her skin and possibly into her heart. And she had made it her business—worked damned hard at it, even—to make sure they never agreed on anything. Except for that one kiss that nearly cost her the election and broke her heart, she had survived her college experience with Jake almost unscathed.

But now…now…she was very close to running through hell with a pair of gasoline thongs on and she was pretty sure she wouldn't come through this round with Jake unscathed.

Just thinking about how he looked in his purple and gold swim trunks almost had her breathless again.

_That chest. Oh gosh, that chest!_

The man had a washboard stomach and pectorals that gave new meaning to the words "perfectly sculpted." And when he had asked her to spread some sunscreen on his back?

_Mercy._

She had to beg for mercy, because she didn't think she was going to be able to stop touching him, until he'd asked her if she wanted him to put some sunscreen on her back…

She would never really know or understand how she was able to make it off that beach and back to her hotel without making wild, passionate love to Jacob Black. All she could do was hope that whatever it was would get her through the rest of the night out with him.

The knock at the door startled her out of her reverie. She glanced down at her outfit and decided she didn't look bad. Her tangerine wrap style dress was formfitting and stopped just about mid-thigh. She had paired the dress with some copper colored leather strappy sandals, copper drop earrings and copper bangles. And she even oiled her legs. She had to admit the mid-thigh dress made it seem like her already long legs were even longer.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, and for the umpteenth time that day she found herself staring speechlessly at Jake. He must have gotten the same wardrobe memo, because he had on a deep rust, short sleeved silk shirt and some perfectly creased brown linen slacks. They looked very much like a couple about to have a sensuous night out on the town. And that was the problem…

They looked like a couple!

His eyes traveled down her legs and back up to her face. He gave a slow, easy, sexy grin. "So are you ready to get a taste of Blake's nightlife?"

She was nowhere near ready for whatever Jake had in mind with his hooded eyes and his deep make a girl weak voice. But she wasn't a punk either. Clearwaters were tough!

She tilted her head and gave him a half smile. "I'm ready. Are you?"

He held out his hand and she took it just to feel the warmth of that electric shock. She was starting to get used to it, welcome it even. And that was another problem.

They drove to the restaurant in silence. She didn't trust herself to talk because she was pretty sure she would have said something stupid like, _Hey, Jake, I know I can't stand you and all but you wanna have a fling?_

So she twiddled her thumbs and let the island breeze relax her. She had come to the realization that she wasn't going to have an island fling after all. Because Jacob Black was the only guy her wolf wanted to have a fling with.

And she couldn't have a fling with him. She just couldn't.

When they reached the restaurant, she could hardly believe her eyes. It had everything. It was beautiful, romantic and right on the beach. They sat at a table that allowed them to look out onto the beach and ocean. The soft candlelight flickered off of the white table cloths around the room. A steel drum band played in the corner, and there was even a small dance floor. The restaurant exemplified upscale island chic.

"This is nice, Jake." Leah finally trusted herself to say something.

"The food is good too. Not as good as my mom's but close." Jake smiled at her.

"Thanks for taking the time away from your family and friends to spend time showing me Blake. I really enjoyed today." She took a deep breath. "I think I can find my way around for the rest of the week. So you can spend time with your folks. And tell Sarah and Embry that I'll try my best to make it back to the rum shack before I leave."

It was for the best. She had to end this—whatever the hell was happening between her and Jake—before things got out of control.

His eyes narrowed, and he just looked at her. He seemed to be processing something in his head. She really hoped that he was thinking things through and that he would come to the same conclusion that she had. Whatever was going on between them was a train wreck waiting to happen, and they needed their combined strength and resolve to stop it.

He nodded and took a sip of his drink, but he didn't respond to what she said. "You should try the conch fritters. We can get them as an appetizer. You have to have curried coconut soup too. All of the entrees are good. It's been a while since I've come here. But I'm sure the food is still excellent."

The waiter came and took their order, and she somehow restrained herself from ordering one of everything on the menu. When her food came and she finished everything, she really regretted her restraint. Everything was delicious. But because it was more upscale fare, the portions weren't nearly as big as she had the night before at Sarah's Rum Shack.

"That was delicious. But you're right, your mom food is way better. And she had better portions."

Jake laughed. "Come and dance with me, Leah?" he stood and held out his hand.

She stood and took his hand.

The steel drums were playing so melodically. She was almost mesmerized by the beat and the man standing in front of her. He held her close as they swayed to the delicate island rhythm the steel drum band created. Every cell and membrane in her body seemed to be screaming, _Him, you silly girl, it's all him._

But she blocked them out and told herself she would just enjoy this one last night dancing in his arms and she would be able to get away before she had even more to lose.

He held her tight. "Tell me something Leah."

She cleared her throat. "What do you want to know, Jake?"

"If you're so determined to have an island fling, why won't you consider having one with me?" His voice was firm and strong, and the sound of it alone made her heart sputter.

But what he'd said? That was enough to send her into cardiac arrest.

She laughed what she hoped was a playful, sexy little laugh and not the shrill, frightened sound she heard in her own ears. "Because—"

She couldn't think of one blasted reason.

She looked up into his sexy, daring eyes.

Big. Big Mistake.

He was looking at her like he wanted her, like he would give her an island fling she would never forget. And there was something else in his gaze. Something that she would never be brave enough to speculate about.

"Because…?" he repeated and waited for her to finish.

His arms felt so right, so incredibly right that it had to be wrong.

"Because you don't like me, Black. And I—" _I could so easily fall in love with you. _"I don't like you either. Why mess up a good thing?" She laughed again, and he just pulled her closer. She could feel his desire for her pressing against her and calling her a liar.

She swallowed.

"Is it because I'm not a guy you can wrap around your pretty little finger?" He leaned down and whispered his words against her ear. Leah fought the desire to shiver as his breath ghosted against her ear.

Yes, and so much more than that.

She knew what she had to do. She had to scare him off. Unfortunately, that meant showing a little bit of her vulnerability. But it would be worth it if it mean she could save herself from a broken heart.

_Strategic honesty._

That was the way to go.

"It's because you're The Wolf, Jake, a bad boy… and you could probably break my heart and not miss a beat." She let out a deep breath as she realized the truth of her words.

"You seem to forget pretty girl, that you're a wolf too." He tilted his head as he smiled ruefully. "You really think your heart would be the only one at risk?" Leah didn't answer him so he sighed. "Fine Leah, I hope you find someone that you feel is 'safer' for you." he brushed his nose against hers gently as he continued talking. "I'm not going to pressure you about this. But I'm also not going to help you find some lucky son of a bitch so that you can give him what I want..." he paused before adding. "What I _deserve_."

She felt that electric current racing through her even as a piece of her heart was already breaking. The pain let her know she was doing the right thing. So she just nodded as she continued to dance the night away in his arms.

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><p><strong>Glad you guys liked last chapter :D<strong>

**And I felt like Leah and Jake needed the fluff before what's to come :)**

**Does anyone else have a fear of snakes? **

**I was fine until I saw that stupid Anaconda movie & then I haven't been the same...**

**Anyways Review :D  
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	9. Ch9:Ground Rules & Deal Breakers

**Usual disclaimer: SM owns it all and I don't**

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><p><strong>Ch9: Ground Rules &amp; Deal Breakers<strong>

Jacob sat at the bar in his mother's rum shack, feeling more than a little grumpy. He had spent the entire day with his family, and it was wonderful, even if a huge part of him kept wondering what Leah was doing, if she was hanging out with Embry who was also a no show, or if she had found someone to have a fling with.

If he could have kicked his own ass for blowing things with her and not taking it slower, he would have. What was he thinking, asking her straight out why she didn't want to have a fling with him? It was the absolute wrong approach! Plus, he had sounded like a punk.

He might as well have said, _Why don't you like me, Leah. Please like me, Leah. Please._

_What a chump!_

No wonder she had given him the brush-off…

But he could tell by the way she melted in his arms, her pulse racing and her eyes fluttering…

He knew she felt the electricity, the chemistry between them. She was just scared. And she didn't want to risk her heart.

At least one of them was thinking, because he was ready to risk it all. And that wasn't a smart move.

No, it wasn't smart to risk his heart. Not where Leah was concerned.

"So how come you didn't bring my girl Leah back with you tonight? Where'd you take her last night?" Sarah leaned on the bar and studied him with keen interest.

Rather than tell his mother that the last person he wanted to talk about was the woman who had been on his mind all day, the person everyone in the rum shack seemed to be asking for all day, he just shrugged.

Sarah hit him on the arm with her cloth. "What kind of answer is that, Jake? You wait all these years to bring a woman here. You finally bring one and we all like her and you had to go and mess it up!"

"Ma, not that it's any of your business…" he glanced up from the vodka tonic he was nursing and noted the dark squint of his mother's eye.

She used the cloth in her hand to slap him upside the head. "What do you mean it's none of my business? I spent all day in labor to bring you in this world, and you sit there trying to tell me what's my business and what's not my business? You're my only son, my baby, and I want you happy! You'll never settle down if you keep dating the kind of women who let you run all over them. Leah is a nice girl. You can do a whole lot worse—and come to think of it, you have."

"Your mother is right." Billy concurred. "You have to know how to tell a good woman when you see one."

"And she's cute too. You two will make me some pretty grandbabies. She's so sweet and innocent and she seems smart." His mother smacked her cloth across his arm again. "Don't you hurt that sweet girl, Jake."

Jake ruffled at that.

Why was everyone worried about him hurting Leah? What about Leah hurting him? She could very well hurt him too!

In fact, if he was honest, he would admit her unwillingness to have her little island fling with him had hurt him a lot more than he would ever let on.

"She don't look _that_ sweet Sarah." Billy grumbled.

"Shut up and mind your business old man. Can't you see I'm trying to have a conversation with my son?" Sarah gave him a slight glare.

"Woman, how easily you seem to forget he's my son too." Billy pointed to himself with his thumb. "And I was just trying to help you. I don't think he's used to anyone like Leah. He's probably used to dating those pretty airheaded girls."

Jacob turned to his dad, not sure if he should take the time to be insulted by the man's diss of his dating practices.

"Hush old man," Sarah shook her head. "Anyway, Jake, you're not getting any younger. You're knocking on forty's door."

"I'm thirty three, Ma."

"Like I said, knocking on forty's door. And women as smart and pretty as Leah won't be coming around easily. Mark my words, you'll regret letting this one go." Sarah nodded in agreement with herself.

Jake sighed. "Okay, Ma, can we change the subject?"

"Sure," Sarah smiled. "So are you going to bring Leah by tomorrow evening?"

Jake rolled his eyes.

"Oh never mind!" his mother said excitedly. "There's my girl! Jake, why'd you let me go on and on if you knew she was going to stop by here?" she hit him with her cloth again. "Hey, Leah, sweetie! How you doing? Come in and take a load off!"

Jake turned toward the door and almost fell out of his seat. There she was in his mother's rum shack looking absolutely stunning in a white sundress with big sterling silver hoop earrings and bangles standing right next to Embry. Embry leaned down with his hand on her waist whispering and she nodded beaming up at him before he went over to speak with Quil. Jake bit the inside of his cheek deciding to ignore that fact before he got angry as he turned his interest back to Leah.

He knew he was staring at her. He almost wanted to punch himself to make sure that she was really there.

Leah smiled and walked over to the bar. "Hey, Sarah, Billy! Hey everyone!" she practically glowed. "Jake." She nodded at him and quickly turned her attention back to the others.

He cleared his throat. "Leah."

He took a sip of his vodka tonic and got up. He took her arm and led her over to the dance floor.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Leah screeched as she let him lead her away.

He pulled her into his arms and started to move to the smooth music that was playing in the background. He had no idea what song was playing, and he didn't care. The only thing he cared about was that she had shown up.

He had been thinking about her all day. He thought that he had blown his chance with her. But she had shown up.

And if she really didn't want him to pursue her, then she really shouldn't have done that. He had tried to do the right thing and let her call the shots and stay cocooned in her fear. But that would only have worked if she had stayed away.

Now…Now that she pissed his wolf off? Well, all bets were off.

He gazed down at her. That clear shimmer gloss thing she had going on with her lips seemed like it would be tasty. He decided to taste and see.

When his lips connected with hers, it felt amazing, damn near surreal. She immediately opened to his kiss, and his tongue didn't waste any time diving in.

Damn, her mouth was addictive. He wrapped his arms around her and her closer as he all but devoured her mouth. He let his arms roam all over her lush, delectable curves.

It took everything inside of him to pull his lips away from hers and end the kiss. It was only the sound of clapping in the background that made him finally let her go. And even then, he kept her close to him. He looked around he noticed Embry's frown before Quil pulled him outside. Jake felt like puffing out his chest in pride. Then he turned his gaze onto his mom and her crew were clapping and whistling.

Leah's face had just a hint of red on the cheeks.

"Jake—" she started.

"No," he interrupted her. "If you didn't want to be with me, Leah, you should have stayed at your hotel where it was _safe_." He put the extra emphasis on the word safe, since that was such a big deal for her. "I let you walk away from me last night, and I would have done the gentlemanly thing and respected your wishes. It would have killed me, but I really would have done it, Leah."

He bent down, taking in her scent, and placed his forehead against hers. "Forget the whole Embry thing I don't want to talk about it. But you came back here. You walked in that door looking like an angel, and now there's no going back, Leah. There is no way in hell I'm going to let you find some clown on this island to have a fling with. That's not going to happen. Sorry. When we leave here tonight, you're coming to my place. And you might as well get your things from the hotel and check out. We've wasted too much damn time already."

"Are you done?" Leah twisted her lips to the side.

"Pretty much, if I think of anything else, I'll let you know."

"Cocky ass! As I was going to say, before you interrupted me…" She paused with a saucy little grin on her face. "I know you told me not to talk about Embry but I have to say my wolf didn't like him too much." She seemed disappointed at the thought, frowning before she continued. "Jake, I want to take a risk and have a wildly passionate island fling with you. We'll just have some ground rules—namely, when I leave this island our fling will be over. No questions. No promises. No problems. These ground rules will help us keep things in prospective."

Jake bristled. Normally he would have loved having an automatic out-clause written into a relationship. But for some reason, with Leah it wasn't appealing to him at all.

"We don't need ground rules, Leah. What happened to your wanting to be spontaneous and do something wild and unplanned? Coming up with ground rules kind of goes against all of that, doesn't it?"

She sighed. "This is a deal breaker, Jake. If we can't agree on the ground rules, then we can't do this. No questions. No promises. No problems." She nibbled on her lip, and it made him want to kiss her again.

What was she so afraid of? They continued to sway with the music, but that question plagued him.

"Why do you feel like you need these ground rules so much? Are you afraid I'm going to turn into some kind of crazed stalker or something?" he joked as he spun her around. He gave her a peck on the lips when she faced him again. "I promise you, when you get tired of me I will respect your wishes and move on. _Of course _I'm going to try my best to make sure you don't get tired of me anytime soon. But—"

Leah let out a deep, exasperated breath. It had been hard enough putting it all on the line, taking a cab over to the rum shack after spending all day with Embry and admitting that she wanted to spend more time with him. She knew she was taking a huge chance with her heart. The ground rules had to be in place because they would remind her not to fall in love with this man.

She glanced up at his handsome face. He gazed at her with such earnest longing that she had to catch her breath. She had already told him the other night that she needed to protect herself from getting hurt. How much of her soul did he want her to bare in order to have this fling?

What more did he want? Blood?

"That's not it Jake. I need the ground rules in place because I…" _I could very much fall in love with you._

She couldn't say that. No need to get carried away with the truth. "Because I think we need to be able to end things the way we started them, as friendly rivals." She smiled. "What we're experiencing here in Blake might be the island magic that is making us want each other so much. And make no mistake about it, I want you…But this is the only way I'm willing to go into this with you."

With his jaw set firmly, it appeared as if he were going to say no deal. Her nerves had her holding her breath. What would she do if he said no? She had already called on every ounce of strength and resolve she had in her to get dressed and ride with Embry to Sarah's. The entire ride over, she had to darn near bite her tongue to stop herself from telling Embry to take her somewhere else.

If Jake said no, where would she get the resolve and strength she would need to laugh it off and then spend an hour or two partying at the rum shack as if it didn't matter that he didn't want to have a fling with her?

"I don't like this, Leah," he grumbled.

"We don't have to like it Jake. We just have to respect the boundaries of it. That way, no one will get hurt and we can remain rivals slash friends." She smiled at him. "Come on, Black. You know you want to say yes. There is unfinished business between us that we can settle before we go our separate ways."

"I don't want to place an expiration date on it, Leah. We both live in Seattle—"

"All the more reason for us to limit this. That way neither one of us will have any expectations that we can simply bring what we start here back home."

"Are you seeing someone back home? Is that it? You have a man at home that you're here cheating on or something? Fuck! I should have asked you that earlier." Jake shook his head in frustration.

"I don't have a man at home. I just broke up with my boyfriend. I had just given him the key to my place after dating him for a year and I came home to find him in bed with another woman."

Jake's eyes narrowed. "You just broke up with a cheating boyfriend and you want me to be your _rebound _fling?" he said the word rebound as if it was a dirty word.

"No. Not really, I mean. I don't know. I don't think you would really be a rebound fling proper, since technically I knew you way before I met him. And in a way we are settling old business from our kiss in college. Taking things further—"

"As far as we can take them in, what, four days? What if we need more time to explore?" Jake rolled his eyes and sneered. "And what if I'm not comfortable being your _rebound _guy?"

"Four days is all we have. And you aren't my rebound, Jake." She looked back to see if his friend was still in here. "I could always ask Embry…" she said softly.

But she knew he heard her when he growled in warning his hands tightening a bit. "Leah…"

She placed her hand behind his neck and pulled his head down. Brushing her lips across his, she was surprised by how quickly he gave in to kissing her. Within seconds, he was devouring her mouth again. She figured her mouth would probably look like she's had some kind of collagen injections by the time he was done with her. But it still pleased her that he seemed to want her so badly.

That had to be a good sign.

His hand trailed her arms and back, landing on her behind. He cupped her behind and squeezed.

Yes, that had to be a really good sign.

Leah smiled at him. "Let's just say our goodbyes to your mom and talk about this at your place, if that's okay?"

"We'll see." Jake took her hand and they headed back to the bar. When he sat down at the bar, she followed his lead and sat down too.

"Uh-oh, what happened? My son has his 'I didn't get my way' look on his face. Leah from Seattle what did you do to my son when you all were over there dancing?" Sarah had a big grin on her face, and it made Jake scowl even more.

Jake's reaction almost made Leah reconsider her stance. It wasn't as if she thought she would ever get enough of Jake. That was the problem. She figured he would be tired of her long before she ever grew tired of him.

That was the way men like him operated, and they left a long line of broken hearts behind them to prove it.

Since she wasn't about to tell Sarah that Jake was mad because he didn't want to have a short, no strings attached affair with her, she just shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

Sarah picked up her cloth and popped Leah on the arm. "Don't shrug your shoulders when I'm asking you a question."

Jake's eyes widened in outrage. "Ma, you can't just pop strangers with your cloth. There is nothing wrong with me. I'm fine." He grumbled.

"Leah's not a stranger. She is practically family! And judging by how irritated she has your normally smooth and untouchable self, she's probably the only woman who can handle you." Sarah smiled at Jake as he glowered.

Leah giggled, which made Jake turn and narrow his eyes at her. "Sarah, you are something else. Jake is fine. We're both fine. But I know I could use a plate of your excellent food. I haven't had anything else in Blake so far that compares."

"And you won't have anything else that compares. I'll fix you a plate." Sarah glanced at her son. "How about you Jake? You want something while I'm back there?"

"Sure Ma. We're about to head out of here once we both eat." He gave Leah a poignant stare.

She could tell.

He had made his decision.

He was going to do it. Or do her, as it were…

_Hooray!_

He must have mulled over her terms and decided they were for the best.

_Perfect._

That was exactly what she wanted.

_Wasn't it?_

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><p><strong>Hmmm had a long dayy... so I was only able to update this story <strong>

**but my other ones should be updated soon for sure by tomorrow**

**You guys are simpl****y Amazing! :D**

**Review I'm one away from 100**_ :D_


	10. Ch10:Perfect Contentment

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight**

**Warning: This whole chapter is full of steamy goodness... you've been warned... or more reeled in mwhahaha... Enjoy :)**

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><p><strong>Ch10:Perfect Contentment<br>**

As she followed Jake into his home, so many things were going through her head. He had been pretty silent through the rest of their time at Sarah's Rum Shack—so much so that she halfway expected him to take her back to the hotel instead of to his place.

But as soon as they entered his house, all of her second guessing and wondering went out of the window. Jake was on her in a flash of steamy scalding heat.

He pulled her into his arms as soon as the door closed and pressed her against the wall in the entryway. Their lips met, and the point of contact was electrifying. His kiss was so demanding, she knew that if he could have swallowed her whole he would have.

Just as his strong body pressed against hers, his lips pressed against her and into her, spilling forth a passion and desire that refused to be squelched. His tongue seemed to have a mind of its own as it traveled first around her lips and then through them, trailing her mouth and touching every erotic corner and crevice. The kiss was more than tasting and even more than devouring. This was some form of inhalation that had the opposite effect. The person doing the inhaling wasn't the one becoming inebriated. No, the one being inhaled was the one most impacted.

The drugging effect of Jake's kiss lulled her until she didn't know where he stopped and she began. She reached up and held his face in her caressing hands to try and still the storm, just a little, so that she could catch her breath. He responded by lifting her up onto the wall and cradling her on his strong, muscular thighs.

He pulled his mouth away from hers with so much effort you would have thought it almost killed him to do so.

He stared at her with a heat and desire that matched what was going on inside of her so completely, she had to close her eyes.

"Leah, look at me." He commanded.

She opened her eyes and faced the passion. She felt the fire.

"I want you to know that I am only agreeing to your terms under duress. And I reserve the right to revisit my agreement if I feel the need to."

She let her hands trail down from his face and held on to his broad shoulders. With electric fueled desire coursing through her body the way it was, the last thing she wanted to do was start some kind of haggling of terms with Jake.

"The ground rules are nonnegotiable, Jake." If her feet had been on the ground instead of dangling at the sides of his thighs, she probably would have stomped them for emphasis.

Jake placed his hands between the wall and her behind and pressed into her some more.

She felt him, hard and pulsing with need.

"My terms are nonnegotiable too Leah. I'll agree to your terms because you have me so open right now, I would probably agree to anything. But I reserve the right to change my mind."

He pushed his hips forward, and the promise of what he had to offer made her rock her hips forward, too.

If only the barrier of their clothing weren't in the way.

He planted soft, teasing kisses down the side of her face. "Take it or leave it, Leah. It's the only way." He pecked her lips once, twice. "Please, Leah."

"Fine. We have a not strings affair. No questions. No promises. No problems. And you can reserve the right to change your mind if you feel the need. But—"

He cut her off with a kiss so potent it left her breathless. His tongue was almost acrobatic in its mission. It twirled and flipped and spun in her mouth as if it were the star attraction in the greatest show on earth.

She couldn't be outdone so early in the game, so she moved her tongue slowly in and out of his mouth, interrupting his pace, slowing it down but keeping the heat of the kiss. She arched her back and moved her hips, swiveling them and rocking them against the hard press of his masculinity.

He met her, rocking his own hips as he groaned.

He let her slide down off of the wall. His eyes were hooded with desire as he gazed at her. He lifted the hem of her sundress, his hand inching it up her thigh in a slow, seductive manner until he reached the part of her inner thigh closest to her core. He let his fingers move then. They moved her thong to the side and then entered her, first one, then two, stroking her and stirring up her desire. He moved his fingers as skillfully as he had moved his tongue, and soon she was moving her hips again. She moved in time with his fingers, riding them until she cried out with a quick shuddering climax that took her by surprise.

Jake pulled her thong down, and somehow she found the coordination to step out of it. He pulled out a condom, unzipped his pants and freed himself.

"You do know I can't get pregnant right?" she raised her eyebrow looking down at his package. Her wolf was just drooling at the sight of it.

"You might have an egg lurking up there and with us both being wolves you just never know Lee." He whispered against her lips as he rolled the condom on.

_A lurking egg seriously? _

_Men!_

As he hiked up her sundress again, he lifted her from the floor and entered her so smoothly her breath was delayed until she felt the fullness of all of him stretching her to her limits.

He held himself still, as if it would kill him to move. She used his stillness to get used to the breadth and depth of him.

"Fuck you're so warm." He let a tiny growl escape his lips as he took a heavy breath. "So perfect. I'm apologizing ahead of time. Because this first time is going to be over much quicker than I want it to be." He gritted his teeth when she moved her hips and held her still.

The pulsing heat radiated from his body to hers, and she didn't know how he managed to remain still. He relaxed a little, but he still didn't move.

"Like I was saying… I have to take the edge off now. After this, I'm going to take my time and make love to you slowly, over and over and over until—"

_I never knew a man could talk so much…._

"Oh, will you just shut up and do it already, Jake! Damn!" she managed to swivel her hips a little and she even bounced. The feel of him inside of her was addictive. She could have sworn that she felt each throb and pulse of his sex, swelling and contracting inside of her, on the verge of exploding.

He grabbed her hips and pulled out to the tip before thrusting back in. He used his muscular thighs to bounce her behind like a soccer ball, up, down and around before repeating his withdrawal and thrusting motion. He was moving so fast she barely had time to scream when another, bigger orgasm shot through her like lightning. The sound that came out of her mouth was a strangled cry that sounded much like an angry cat.

Jake didn't let her call of the wild stop his clever thrusting. He kept rocking her, rocking in her, faster and harder. Her back slid up and down the wall so swiftly she could have sworn she was wearing a new groove into it. There had to be a mark on the wall the very width and length of her torso, the way he had her going.

Even though it felt like forever as he continued to thrust and she continued to meet his thrusts, it was actually only a few minutes before he had joined her with his own release.

"Leah. Leah. Leah. Leah." He repeated her name over and over as he continued to stroke out the last of his orgasm.

Soon she found herself being lifted all the way into his arms as he slid out of her. she rested her head on his chest as he carried her, listening to his sure and steady heartbeat.

He took off her sundress when he stood her on her feet and then picked her up again and placed her on the bed. She looked up into his sultry, seductive gaze and smiled.

"I'll be right back," was all he said as he left the room.

She assumed he was going to get rid of the protection, but she had no idea. The only thing she could think of was how satisfied she felt. She had never felt so utterly and completely sated in all of her life.

She settled into the bed and thought it wasn't exactly as soft and cushy as it appeared. The plush white down comforter and humongous white pillows were a cloud like surface covering a sturdy and firm bottom. It was just as comfortable as she had thought it would be, though. She sighed at that thought as her eyes closed and she nestled her head into the nearest pillow.

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><p>When Jake came back into the room after removing the protection, he found Leah fast asleep. The slow rise and fall of her chest and the restful half smile on her lips was almost enough to make him just want to get in the bed and hold her until he went to sleep also. <em>Almost.<em>

Leah had awakened something in him that demanded more. And he had a feeling that even if he made love to her all night, or if they never left his bedroom for the next four days of her vacation, it still wouldn't be enough.

He had no idea why he had agreed to her foolish ground rules. Although, watching her stretch and curl back into her restful pose, looking absolutely tantalizing in her nude glory, he got a pretty good reminder of why he had agreed.

Moved by the sudden urge to touch her, to be joined with her, to make passionate love to her again, he removed his clothing and climbed into bed with her. His mouth immediately found her nipples. He took one in his mouth and sucked it in, alternating between sucking and nibbling softly, moving from one nipple to the other until her eyes fluttered open and she gazed at him.

"Well that's an interesting way to wake up." She smiled and caressed his face.

He had never thought a woman would be able to spark such strong emotions in him just by smiling at him. But then, he had only recently been the recipient of Leah's smiles as opposed to her rolling her eyes and frowns. And given the way his heart jump started and his entire body became energized, he was going to have to keep this woman in smiles for a long time.

He let her nipple go and smiled back at her. "I told you the next time would be slow, and that we would get started as soon as we were done with the first time." He captured her lips and kissed her more awake, using his hands and that electric energy that sparked whenever they touched to finish waking her up. He caressed her breast, moved down to her belly and stroked her core until she wrapped her arms around him and rocked against him.

He closed his eyes as he felt her hot, sticky, sweet nectar spilling onto his hand.

Such a waste…

He kissed his way from her neck to her core, taking the time to get another nip and nibble of her nipples on the way down. Once he reached the spot where he wanted to stay awhile, he spread her legs and feasted.

Leah's eyes opened wide then. She couldn't believe what Jake was doing to her with his oh so talented mouth.

She had never really been a fan of oral sex. She had always said it was overrated and pondered who really wanted some guy slobbering around down there.

But now…

Now she knew that those other guys just weren't doing it right. Jake had her torn between climbing the bed to get away from his plundering mouth and grabbing his head so that he would never ever be able to stop. _Ever._

So she did some variation of both. She must have looked like a frantic mess. But she didn't care. How could she care when Jake was making her feel so damn good?

When the orgasm hit her, the only thing that kept her tethered to the bed was his strong hands holding her in place. She thought he might have taken pity on her then and stopped his skillful, mind altering assault. But his mouth just kept working her until she found herself crying out with release, shorter than the previous one but no less powerful.

Was it possible to die from pleasure overload? When she felt him finally stopping, she could only sigh.

Finally, he must have realized she couldn't take anymore.

She could hear him beside the bed, opening the nightstand, and then she heard plastic ripping and he was back.

"Slow this time Leah."

He inched inside of her, stretching her and filling her again, causing each of her already overstimulated nerve ending to pop and sizzle.

"Oh…" she sighed.

She couldn't really take any more. But she couldn't in good conscience turn down what he was offering.

When was the last time she had felt anything this close to mind blowing? Never.

And where would she get a chance to have her world rocked again after this vacation was over? Nowhere.

So she needed to get it while the getting was good.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and lifted her hips from the bed, meeting his thrusts with her own trying to give as good as she got.

"I knew it would be this way between us, Leah. It's so damn good, I can't even figure out how to tell you. So I'll just show you."

Jake moved his hips in a slow, winding motion as he plunged deep and withdrew. She felt like he was marking out every vacant space inside of her, and those spaces were just satellites for the rest of her body—because each place his stroke hit caused other parts of her to react until she was feeling him deep in her heart.

Her heart raced with desire and devastation because she knew she would not leave this island the same way she had come.

She had come thinking she was hurt after finding Paul in her bed with another woman. But she knew that hurt would never match the hurt she was going to feel when her affair with Jake was over.

He kissed her neck, sucking and marking her. She didn't know if it was her that made her turn her head or her wolf, giving him full access as she rocked with him. She rocked until he bit down with enough pressure to break skin on the spot he had been sucking on causing another powerful orgasm to shoot through her. Her eyes were wide open, and her mouth opened to let out a scream of ultimate completion.

He captured her scream with a kiss, his tongue mimicking the sure and steady stroke of his hips.

She let her hands trace every delectable inch of his muscular frame that she could reach.

He felt amazing to touch.

He made her feel amazing.

When he lifted his mouth from hers and stared at her with that wonderful gleam of a man on a mission in his eyes, she couldn't help it. She went into overdrive. She moved on a mission of her own, and she wasn't going to be satisfied until she heard him screaming her name.

She lifted her hips, swiveled them and clenched her pelvis, giving him a loving embrace that made his surefire thrusts just a tad bit more erratic. She narrowed her eyes and concentrated on his handsome masculine face as she lifted, swiveled and clenched, over and over and over.

"Leah," he panted.

She smiled.

Close, but not quite.

She lifted, swiveled and clenched some more, but this time she added a clutch as she grabbed on to his behind, pulling him into her with every ounce of urgency she felt.

Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on how one looked at it—her actions were stirring up a reaction in both Jake and herself.

She was making him feel it. But she felt it, as well. And as it built and built and built neither of them could contain it any longer, just as he let out her cry of his name she pulled him closer to her as her wolf took over and she marked him all the same as he screamed out her name.

It was only after several moments of perfect contentment that either one of them felt the desire to move. Jake flipped over on his back, taking her with him.

With her on top of him straddling his hips, he grinned. "Hungry?"

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><p><strong>Sooo this was kind of a filler chapter since it was nothing but sex which hardly did anything to further the plot.<strong>

**But Leah let Jake mark her and she marked him in return**

**hahaha I'm going to have fun playing with that..**

**I dunno why I always have them do that in a story when I have them both as wolves...**

**But anyways hoped you enjoyed the smut ahaha.. **

**Now I'm going to update the other stories and take my crazy butt to sleep.  
><strong>

**Review!**


	11. Ch11:Rules Are For Suckers

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight**

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><p><strong>Ch11:Rules Are For Suckers<br>**

After pretty much spending the next two days in Jake's house, only coming out occasionally for a few hours to visit 's at Sarah's rum shack, and only really leaving the bedroom when they were in his house for things like food and cleanliness—which always led to prolonged, heated sex in the shower—Leah awakened late in the evening of the second straight day in Jake's home, feeling the aftermath of their sexual gluttony.

The more you get the more you want.

There was absolutely no such thing as satisfaction. It was a myth created to lull fools insane enough to believe it. Or maybe it was for people who had never been loved to distraction in Jake's arms.

She rolled over and gave him a peck on the lips that turned into a prolonged kiss. It was around six in the evening, and her stomach was starting to growl for some of Sarah's delicious food.

She couldn't believe how close she had gotten to Jacob's mother. She felt like Sarah's Rum Shack was home, and she was going to miss it and Blake more than anything. She knew she would never come back there. It would hurt too much to come back and know that she'd never be in Jacob's arms again.

She playfully pulled away from him. "It's time for us to get up so that we can head to Sarah's. You know she'll tell both of us off and pop us upside the head with that damn cloth if we step up in there too late like we did last night and I want to laugh at the people who can't sing."

He pulled her back and flipped her under him. "We don't have to go to the rum shack for that. I can't sing, and I'll sing off key while I make love to you all night." He kissed her mark gently, melding his lips to her neck in a sensuous and scandalous manner.

She moaned and wrapped her arm around his neck. It was only when her stomach made its growling noise again that he took a little pity on her and stopped.

"Okay, let's move this to the shower, then. We can finish up in there, and then I can go feed you and bring you right back here under me, where you belong."

She laughed as he stood, picked her up and placed her over his shoulders.

"You better not drop me Black!" It was hard to sound threatening when she was so bust giggling.

Jake used the hand that wasn't holding her on his shoulder to slap her on her behind. "Be still woman, I got this."

"Ooohh, when you put me down, I'm going to get you." she growled playfully.

Jake gave her behind another smack.

"Promises, promises." He placed her down in the spacious, doorless shower and turned on the water.

As the water fell over both of them he covered her mouth with a sweet, soul stealing kiss, and she forgot all about getting back at him. The only thing she could thing about was how good he felt.

He spun her around so that she was facing the marble tiled wall with her hands flat against it. She felt him behind her reaching for the protection they decided to keep near the shower, just in case…Before she could turn to watch him cover himself, he was back and inside of her.

She turned her head, and he covered her lips as his hands covered hers and they rocked together underneath the water. She couldn't tell whether all the steam was coming from the shower or their bodies or both. To be honest she didn't really care not with Jake consuming her this way.

His hips thrust up as his body pressed her closer to the tile. Before she knew it she was crying out with an orgasm that felt as if it had been ripped from her very soul.

_I love Jake._

_Wow, I love Jake, _was the only thing running through her mind as she felt like she was flung up toward the sky, only to come leisurely and flowingly back down to earth.

That was when she realized that her wolf really meant those words, that it wasn't just lust and outstanding sex at play.

She really loved Jacob Black. God help her, she did.

He groaned his release just a few seconds later, still kissing her as if they shared the same lips and they would never part.

He removed the protection and walked back into the shower.

"Hey," he whispered against her neck turning her to face him.

"Hi," she said just as quietly but she knew he heard her over the running water.

"I don't want to hide our marks like we've been doing for the last two days." His voice was deeper, gruffer and although she wanted to deny him. She really didn't have any other shirts, or dresses to cover her mark so she had no choice but to agree. So when she nodded he kissed her lips tenderly before pulling her into his wet warm wet chest. He grinned as they bathed one another lovingly, and Leah's heart broke just a little more.

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><p>"Well, look what the wolf drug through the door!" Sarah greeted him and Leah with open arms as they walked into the rum shack. She wasn't behind the counter for once, and she had clearly been setting things up for karaoke.<p>

He hugged his mother and kissed her on the cheek and watched as Sarah embraced Leah. He still couldn't believe how easily Leah seemed to fit in with everyone. And he really couldn't believe how wrong he had been about her all these years. There didn't seem to be a scandalous bone in her body.

He frowned as he thought about her stupid ground rules for their affair. He was certainly going to have to call in his right to renegotiate, because there was no way he was going to allow her to just walk out of his life in two days. He didn't think he would ever get tired of her especially after marking her. So he wasn't letting her go. She would just have to deal with it.

He was Jacob Black, The Wolf, after all, and he didn't lose anything or anyone he really wanted. He never wanted any other woman more than he wanted Leah in his life. His wolf especially loved her with everything in him, which was causing Jake himself to adore and want her even more.

He looked at Leah and smiled. She smiled back and his heart lifted. Surely, she could be reasoned with. She didn't want what was building between them to end any more than he did. She was a rational woman. He would talk with her before she left and let her know that it was time for a change in terms.

Sarah pulled Leah with her. "Come on and help me set up the karaoke girl. You can help me host if we start to get swamped."

Leah looked back at Jake, and he waved at her as they went on their way.

He took a seat at the bar beside his father. His father gave him a hug before turning back to his drink.

"This is the happiest I've seen your mother in a while, at least since your grandmother passed," his father wasn't looking at anything or anyone in particular, but Jake could tell that the man was aiming for some serious talk.

"You have to try and make it home more often, son. I know she doesn't complain, but she misses you. We both do. We're both proud of you. Everyone in this bar knows your every accomplishment. And everyone in this bar knows that she is pleased as punch at the thought that you might finally be settling down." Billy was looking at his mark on Jake's neck but didn't comment on it.

Just the fact the fact that his father noticed it sent a gush of happiness from his wolf. He was glad that Leah didn't fight him on showing them off tonight. He wanted everyone, guys especially to see that Leah was off the market. Even if she really wasn't.

"Well, I hope she isn't getting her hopes up too much. Leah is going to take a little work." Jake grumbled.

"Yes, she seems a little skittish when it comes to you. But given your track record, can you blame her?" Billy chuckled. "Be patient, son. Don't bombard her with more than she can handle. Let her set the pace."

Jake frowned at that. If he let Leah set the pace they would be over and done within two days. And Billy's letting his mother set the pace hadn't gotten his mother down the aisle in thirty something years.

Yeah. Right. He would take his dad's dating advice with more than a little caution.

"I'll give her some room to set the pace, but I'll have to step in and navigate from time to time." _Like when I get her to renegotiate her silly ground rules._

He was Jacob Black, and he didn't play by the rules. Rules were for suckers.

"I'm planning to ask your mother to marry me again." His father, Billy had a big grin on his face that went against what one would expect from a man who had been turned down for marriage by the same woman more times than anyone could count. "If she says yes this time, we'll expect you and Leah back for the wedding."

"If she says yes, then Leah and I will definitely be back for the wedding." Jake didn't feel bad about making that promise because _if _ his mother said yes to his father then _anything _was indeed possible, including being able to get Leah to extend their island fling into some kind of relationship.

"I know you don't think she's going to say yes." No one could accuse Billy for calling Jake on what he had been thinking in his head.

Jake laughed. "I don't doubt it, dad. I don't doubt it at all."

"So are you going to get up there and sing tonight? If you sing Leah a love song, she might just get a little sweeter on you. I'm going to get up there and dedicate a song to Sarah tonight."

_Oh, dad, please don't._

Jake knew for a fact that his dad was a worse singer than he was. And that was saying a lot, because Jake knew he couldn't sing. Billy, on the other hand, was one of those people who couldn't sing a lick but was totally clueless about his lack of ability and jumped up to sing every chance he got.

_Not a good look._

As people got up to sing, Jake hoped that his father would forget about his desire to serenade Sarah. He would hate for the man to be embarrassed.

Jake was busy pondering Billy when he heard his mother saying words he knew he couldn't have heard properly.

"And next up we'll have my son and his girlfriend, Leah singing a duet that I picked out for them. This is an oldie but goodie, and I'm sure they'll have as much fun with it as we will have watching them."

Leah's head spun around, and she backed away from the karaoke machine and Sarah as if both had the plague.

"Oh, no, Sarah, I told you I can't sing. I'm only here to laugh at the other people who can't sing." Leah said shaking her head as she moved away.

"Come on, Leah and Jake, it'll be fun. Give us something besides those gigantic hickies on your neck to remember you guys by," Sarah coaxed giving them both a pointed look.

Jake had never seen his mother look so happy and carefree. He liked seeing her like that. It made his heart light and made him get up from the bar to catch Leah as she walked away with her face slightly tinged red.

He led her back over to the karaoke machine as she looked at him as if he were crazy.

He kissed her on the cheek. "It'll be fun. And at least we can make fools or ourselves together."

"Oh, I think I would much rather you make a fool of yourself and I sit and laugh at you while you do it," Leah said with a nervous giggle.

"You don't want to be remembered by what my mother called a 'gigantic hickie' right?" he asked her.

Leah narrowed her eyes with most adorable pout playing on her lips, making him want to kiss her as she said. "You don't play fair."

Jake handed her a microphone ignoring her glare and he took the other one. Then he turned to his mother. "Okay, we're here. Show us what you got, Ma"

His mother laughed. "Okay, singing 'Endless Love,' I present for your listening pleasure, Leah and Jake."

Jake hadn't heard the song before. He was pretty sure it was before his time, although he really had no idea. So he had to look at the little screen as he sang.

As the music started he noticed that Leah had this deer in the headlights expression on her face.

_Great._ He really hoped that she wouldn't freeze and she would be able to carry her weight in this song. He glared at his mother when he got a good look at the lyrics. That would never quit, and she was eerily perceptive on top of all that!

Leah could sing just a little better than he could. But by the time they started saying those lyrics to one another, it didn't matter. He knew he felt and meant every word, and he wondered if Leah meant and felt them too.

When they got to the second chorus, he chanced looking away from the screen and looked at Leah. She was looking right at him.

"And I'll give it all to you," she belted just slightly off-key.

"My endless love," he crooned more than a little off-key. He grinned at her as he finished.

He could only guess that they hadn't made complete fools of themselves because people were clapping and whistling. He pulled Leah into his arms for a deep kiss. She kissed him back with so much passion, his mother had to make a show of pulling them apart.

"Okay, okay, you're taking up space and precious time. We have more people to hear tonight. The two of you, shoo."

Jake hugged Leah as they walked away. "You hungry? I can go in the back and make us some plates. I know my mother put you to work as soon as you got here."

"I don't even know why you ask, when am I not hungry?" she gave him a look. "And your mother did more than just put me to work. But I'll grab us a table."

He couldn't put his finger on it. But something seemed different about Leah. He shrugged it off. He would have the talk with her about extending their fling beyond Blake, and then things would be fine.

He wasn't worried. He would get her to come around.

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><p>Leah couldn't believe that Sarah actually said yes to Billy's marriage proposal. Seeing the amount of love Billy poured on Sarah no matter what she said and knowing that the man had waited forever for Sarah to say yes just made her realize how pathetic her own situation was.<p>

She was falling in love with a man who made a life mission out of changing women like he changed clothes, a man who up until a few days ago she had fondly thought of as the last man on earth she would ever be foolish enough to kiss again, let alone have a hot island fling with.

But there they were, heading back to his place to pick up her things and a few items for him. They were going to spend the night in her hotel room because it was closer to his cousins home, and Jake planned on spending some time with his cousins fishing in the morning before spending the rest of the day with her. she already knew she wouldn't be there when he came back.

She had decided to leave a day early. It would have been too hard having him drop her at the airport, knowing that he would be in Seattle in a week and they couldn't see each other again. Her ground rules hadn't prevented her from getting a broken heart. But it would be even worse if she stayed any longer.

When they made it to her hotel room, he didn't waste any time pulling her into his arms and backing her toward the bed. They made quick work of their clothing, and soon Jake was kissing her all over her body.

She thought about the duet they had sung together at Sarah's.

Although neither one of them could carry a tune even if it had a handle, she couldn't help smiling at the memory of Jake's voice crooning those words.

God, how she wished he had meant them!

As he kissed her, his fingers coaxed her sex until she was writhing underneath him. She moaned into his mouth and ran her hands up and down his broad back. The feel of him under her hands made her want to feel him inside of her all the more.

Soon she was clutching his fingers in her sex. A small orgasm pulsed through her, causing her to arch her back in a silent plea for more. He chuckled.

"You ready for me, Leah? Hmm? Let me know babe."

"I need you, Jake. I _need_ you." Her voice sounded raw and she was shocked by how much she didn't care that wasn't just talking about sex. Yes, she needed him to complete the sex act. But she needed him for so much more, and in her current state of mind, she didn't care who knew it.

"I need you too Lee. I need you so much." He moved to protect them, and then entered her.

She cried out as soon as his sex connected with hers. The impact was so strong. She came with a force that shocked them both.

"Oh, fuck, babe. I'm not going to last. You're killing me, Leah." He cried out as his release took him over the top.

He wrapped her in his arms after he got rid of the protection and laughed. "That has never happened to me before."

She smiled. She'd had lovers come quickly in the past but never after making her come just as quickly beforehand.

"Me, neither." She buried her head in the crook of his neck and inhaled. She knew she would remember the scent of him for as long as she lived.

"I won't wake you up before I leave in the morning. We'll get a really early start so that I can come back and spend the rest of my day and night making love to you before you leave on Saturday."

She didn't say anything. If she told him she was leaving in the morning as soon as he got up to go fishing with his cousins, he would have tried to talk her out of it.

She knew she was going to be leaving a big part of herself in Blake. And even though he marked her and she would never be able to have just any guy touch her, she was at least happy she had gotten to turn her rival into a lover, a lover she would never forget.

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><p><strong>Eeeeeeeep stubborn Leah... <strong>

**Wasn't my favorite chapter but I had to get her back to Seattle and Leah is good at running away at least with Jake**

**But anyways I'm glad you guys enjoyed my last filler chapter haha.. **

**I'm working in slow motion today so one of my other stories should be updated soon.**

**Anyways review! :D**

**xoxo  
><strong>


	12. Ch12:Fear Without Losing

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight**

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><p><strong>Ch12:Fear Without Losing<br>**

Leah knew when she got back to her place and caught a trace of Paul's scent before she opened the door that she was going to be in for a long day. She thought maybe she should turn around and head back to a hotel but that was her apartment, why should she be the one to leave? Especially after she already had kicked him out!

As soon as she got through the door she saw him sitting on the couch twiddling his fingers together until he saw her walk in the door. Then he got up and smiled walking towards her with his arms open.

Leah placed her hand up in the air and he stopped. "Okay. What the hell are you still doing here, Paul? I told you I didn't want to see you ever again. What part of that did you not understand? Did you have extra copies of my keys? I want every single copy, Paul right now!"

Leah glared at her ex taking deep breaths to keep her cool. A part of her was beyond irritated that he had the nerve to be there. The other part of her was glad that he was there. Leaving Blake had been the hardest and most painful thing she had ever had to do, and it was good to have someone around to take it out on.

"I've waited here all week. I came back to try and talk to you last Sunday, thinking that if you had a couple of nights to cool down, you might be ready to listen to reason. But you weren't here, and you never came back." He frowned and she could feel the hurt coming off him in waves. "So I just wanted to be here when you came back…"

Leah moved closer to the closed door. "And why the hell would I want that?" Leah snapped.

"I was hoping that once you had a minute to cool off you would be able to see reason." He repeated.

She made a project of turning her head back and forth then behind her.

"What are you looking around the room for?" Paul asked in an irritated voice.

"I'm looking for Boo Boo the fool, because that's who you must think you're talking to, Paul." Leah shook her head. She couldn't believe the unmitigated gall of him showing up at her place and waiting for her to get back.

Paul sighed and started pacing the floor. "No one said you were a fool, and no one is trying to play you. I was just hoping that you could find it in your heart to forgive me."

Leah moved closer to the door and leaned against it.

"It's not about me forgiving you. It's about the fact that you and I are over. I could forgive you and that would still be the case. In fact, I do forgive you and I still don't want to be with you anymore." Leah huffed.

"Look, it just wasn't meant to be, and you obviously knew that before I did. I should thank you, actually. You weren't the man for me, clearly. I wasn't the woman for you. So could you just leave while I'm still calm?" She tried to talk in a calmer and mask her irritation. Maybe a kinder, more gentle approach would have worked better with him? She doubted it, but she was willing to try anything besides phasing to get him to leave.

"You say that like you've found the man for you or something like that." Paul snapped his words out viciously.

She thought of Jake.

Yeah. She had found the man for her.

Too bad she wasn't the woman for him.

It seemed like the only way she was going to get Paul out of her house was to be blunt and brutally honest.

"I say that because you and I both knew that what we had wasn't mad, passionate love. I can't speak for you but I can speak for myself. And I was just settling with you. And coming home to find you in bed with another woman was a pretty huge wake up call. I don't want to settle anymore." she crossed her arms and waited for him to get a clue.

"And you wonder why I was in bed with another woman? You are one coldhearted bitch, Leah! How can you stand there and say some mess like to me after all we've been to one another? You saying you didn't love me? What the hell? And what the hell is that on your neck, Leah?" Paul was becoming increasingly irritated.

Leah knew he wasn't going to do something stupid like hit her or anything but she didn't want to be there any longer. Her hand immediately went to the mark on her neck that she knew would never heal over. Just touching it caused her to shiver. _Jake._

"That's irrelevant." she kept her fingers touching it though as she continued to speak. "Listen it's over Paul. Over! Now I'm going to run to the store and I want you gone when I get back. Just leave the key in the mailbox, okay? Just be gone when I come back or it won't be pretty." Leah turned quickly and left the apartment.

She thought of calling her brother to be there for her just in case but then she remembered that her family were in California until Saturday. If only she had stayed with them, or maybe stayed in Blake until Saturday like she was supposed to…

She decided to call the twenty four hour locksmith instead and have them meet her at her place in an hour. That would give her some time to grab a few groceries, and hopefully Paul would be gone by then.

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><p>When Jake got back to the hotel and found that Leah had checked out, he wasn't too upset. He simply assumed that she had done what he had told her to do all along, moved her things to his place. It only after he had gone to his place and found it untouched that he realized she didn't have a key to his place. So she wouldn't have gone there. The only other logical place was his mother's rum shack. And when she wasn't there, it was time for Jake to face the obvious…<p>

Leah had skipped out on him.

Rather than get upset, he just smiled.

She really thought she was getting away with her little ground rules safely intact. Poor girl, she honestly believed that she was going to be the one to get the best of him twice in one lifetime.

_It. Wasn't. Gonna. Happen._

He got on his cell phone, made some phone calls and pretty easily got her address and home phone number. She could run, but she couldn't hide.

When he returned to Seattle he fully intended to continue seeing her. She did not get to call all the shots in their relationship when his feelings were involved too.

And his feelings were definitely involved. A lot. A whole lot more than he was willing to admit or analyze, but he certainly wasn't going to let that keep him from full pursuit.

He gave her enough time to make it back to Seattle and get settled before he called her to let her know exactly how he felt about her skipping town.

He waited as the phone rang and debated just how much of his irritation he was going to allow to surface. If she was apologetic enough, he might decide to go easy on her. But if she was till talking all that stuff about ground rules and the like, he would have to take a firm line.

All of his debating went out of the window when a man answered the phone.

"Hello," the male voice snapped.

Taken aback, Jake had to pause for a second before he queried. "Who is this?"

"Who the hell is this? You dialed my number not the other way around."

"I'm looking for Leah Clearwater," Jake just knew he must have dialed the wrong number in his irritated state.

"She stepped out to run errands. This is her boyfriend. And this is?" The other man's voice picked up a healthy dose of bass but even through the phone Jacob could detect the lie.

Not one to be punked, Jake felt his chest puffing out as he asked, "You mean the guy she just broke up with because she caught him in the bed with another woman? Would that be you?"

There was a fair amount of sputtering, and Jake could have sworn he could see the man's indignation through the phone lines.

"Don't you worry about what is going on between me and my girl. You just need to know that she and I will work out any problems we have between us. So, if she gave you any indication while she was mad that she was on the market, sorry partner, you picked the wrong one."

Jake had to laugh at that. He didn't know why he was wasting his time talking to that chump. Even if Leah had suffered a momentary state of insanity and taken the chump back, he would be history as soon as Jake came back to town. Jake would make sure of that.

"Yea, well you just tell her Jacob Black called. And let her know that we will be finishing what we started in Blake when I get back to Seattle in a week." it took him everything in him not to growl into the phone.

"Blake?"

"Yeah, Blake. Where she was all week with me, _partner_. Tell her she's mine when I get back." Jake hung up the phone.

It was only after he had hung up and his wolf calmed down that he began to question if he had done a smart think by goading Leah's ex or man or whatever the idiot was to her. He really hoped that the guy didn't do anything stupid. Because he knew he would hunt the fool down if he laid a hand on Leah.

He only knew that he was heading to Leah's home as soon as he got off the plane next Saturday. Because ex or no ex, man or no man, Leah Clearwater had started something with him on this island, and he wasn't ready to just let it end because of some silly ground rules. He knew what he felt when he was with her, and he was willing to be she'd run away because she was scared and she didn't want it to end any more than he did.

At least, that's what he was hoping…

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><p>When Leah returned to her apartment with her groceries, the twenty four hour locksmith guy was waiting for her. She was surprised to find her living room trashed and the cordless phone smashed and on the floor. She was so happy that she had had the foresight to leave when she noted that Paul was getting more agitated than she had ever seen him.<p>

She considered calling the police. But for the most part the damages to her living room weren't that bad. The hazelnut velvet sofa and loveseat were toppled, and chair pillows and throw pillows were tossed everywhere. The end tables were overturned and the coffee table was broken. The lamps were smashed too.

The cost of a new end table, phone, lamps and locks was a small price to pay to get Paul out of her life. If he came back and continued to be a bother she wouldn't hesitate to show him the other side he never seen of her. He had seen her angry plenty of times before but she had been holding back a lot of the times when they had previous arguments.

After this, she considered going on a male free timeout. If she had to worry about attracting losers like Paul and she couldn't be with the man she had let claim her and had ended up falling head over heels in love with, then she might just as well be man free.

She watched as the man changed her locks and contemplated her new man free status.

She could do it.

She might not be able to do it for as long as it would take her to get over Jake, but she could do it for a little while. At least until the thought of loving someone didn't cause her chest to ache and make her want to cry…

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><p>"What's the matter with you? What's with the long face?" Sarah slapped Jake's arm with her cloth.<p>

He thought about not answering her, but he knew that would only earn him another smack with that damn cloth.

"You know, you really shouldn't be hitting people with that little cloth you walk around here wiping stuff down with. It's unsanitary, Ma. You could give a normal person a rash or something." He made a show of rubbing the spot she had just hit.

"You aren't normal boy, and don't change the subject." Sarah held her little cloth weapon in a threatening matter, ready to strike again. "And you still haven't told me about Leah and why she left early. Did the two of you have a fight or something?"

"No, we didn't have a fight. As far as I knew, everything was going fine with Leah and me." Jake gave a half shrug. "But you can best believe when I get back to Seattle I intend to find out why your new best friend got scared and ran. Plus she has to come with me to your wedding." Jake chuckled. "I told dad I would bring her, thinking there was no way in hell you would say yes after all those years of saying no."

She slapped his arm with the cloth. "Stop getting smart, and stop trying to change the subject."

"I'm not trying to change the subject, Ma. It's complicated."

"Please." Sarah sucked her teeth. "How complicated could it be? Either the two of you love one another and want to be together or you don't. It's not rocket science."

"Tell that to dad—Ouch!" This time the cloth stung when she hit him with it.

The first chance he got to hide all of her little terry cloth towels he was going to do it. The woman had to be stopped from terrorizing the world.

"You always were such a smartass." Sarah pointed her finger at him and was reminded immediately of what people said about pointing fingers. His mother had fingers pointing back at her, because he had come by his smart mouth very honestly.

"If I didn't like Leah so much, I might say it serves you right that the one girl you want to get serious with is the one playing hard to get." Sarah tapped her lip in contemplation.

Jake frowned. "Who said I wanted to get serious?"

Sarah pointed to his mark. "Exhibit A." she said pointedly. "And don't get me started on the rest of the cookie. That girl is like you huh?" she looked back and forth before leaning closer to whisper. "A wolf."

Jake moved his hand to his mark and covered it. "What? Ma. No." Jake shook his head.

She narrowed her eyes at him getting ready to raise that stupid cloth again. "Don't you lie to me boy I raised you from birth, she had all the signs that you did." Sarah began using her fingers to point out every detail. "She was warm to the touch, she could hear and smell everything, and she marked you in return. You can't fool me."

Jake sighed. "I just wanted to give us time to explore what we could be. She would rather put a timetable on things and let what we have end on this island because she's too afraid to risk her heart for more than a fling."

"Apparently she isn't the only one who is scared and doesn't want to risk her heart." Sarah gave him a knowing look that made him feel like he was still a kid and he had gotten caught trying to steal an extra cookie.

"You think because you say you want to expand the expiration date of your 'island fling' beyond your time on the island that you are somehow not afraid? What about your desire to win all the time no matter what?" Sarah fired her questions like she was the police or something.

Jake rolled his eyes. _Not the you-have-to-win-all-the-time-and-there-is-something-really-wrong-with-that-speech. Please, Ma, anything but that. _He knew better than to say that out loud, though because his mother would have smacked him with that cloth hard enough to leave a mark and he would have gotten an even longer speech. And she would have followed that speech with the it-took-me-a-whole-day-of-labor-to-bring-you-into-this-world-so-I-get-a-say-in-your-life-forever speech.

"Sometime you have to risk everything even when you know you might lose. That's when it matters the most. When you know you don't stand a chance, but you go all out anyway because your heart and soul won't let you rest unless you do. That is why I finally said yes to your dad, even though I'm more than comfortable keeping our relationship the same as it has been."

"He's my love and I'm his, and since it wasn't broke, I couldn't see the point in bothering with it. But he kept asking me, all the while expecting that I would turn him down again. He never gave up on me, even though I have him no reason to expect that I would change. Do you see yourself doing that for Leah, as much as you hate to lose? Can you see going all out and pursuing her like a man intent on making her his for real instead of a man looking to continue a fling until it's flung? That's living without fear, my hardheaded stubborn son who I love very dearly. Can you, or do you love Leah like that, without fear of losing?"

Jake squinted his eyes. His mother had laid down some heaviness, and he really had to ponder her words.

Could he lay it all on the line knowing that he didn't stand a chance? He didn't know. He had always approached everything without a care about losing, because he had always won and he didn't expect that to change.

With Leah, he had already seen that he could lose to her when she beat him in college. If she really didn't want him, would have the tenacity to keep trying to make her see that he was the one and only man for her, knowing that she might never see it?

He wasn't sure if he could. But he was damn sure going to try.

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><p><strong>:D I love Sarah lol... even though getting hit with a cloth really does hurt lol... <strong>

**This might be the only story I'm updating today since my dog went into labor and I have to take care of her... :/  
><strong>

**Anyways next chapter should be fun! **

**Review I love your thoughts and ideas! **

**xoxo  
><strong>


	13. Ch13:Going For Broke

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight sadly but I do own two beautifully new puppies! So something to be happy for on my end lol... :D**

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><p><strong>Ch13: Going For Broke<br>**

Feeling like you peaked in college, finding the man of your dreams, only having a brief island fling with said man of your dreams and wondering if you should take out a restraining order on your formerly quiet, nice with a hint of anger issues ex-boyfriend instead of just changing your number like you opted to do was enough to make a girl go for the Krispy Kreme doughnuts _and _the Chunky Monkey ice cream.

Leah wondered if she should take her sister in law up on her offer. Working for Harrington Enterprise wouldn't have been that bad. The import-export business of dealing with cement and oil refineries was probably more interesting than she imagined… _Not._

At least she wouldn't have to worry about Sam Uley sabotaging her and belittling her left and right.

After a week of dealing with her jerk of a boss, ignoring Paul's apologetic phone messages and not hearing a word from Jacob, her life was just as crappy as it had been before she had taken the trip to Blake that was supposed to help her get her groove back.

Granted, she shouldn't have expected to hear anything from Jake since she hadn't left him any of her contact information.

But a small part of her was hoping.

So, instead of having a Saturday night out with her girls, or hanging out with her brother, sister in law, niece and nephews or even spending some time with her mom, she was in her condo. Her hair was up in a haphazard ponytail and she was wearing a pair of ripped up shorts and an old SPU T-shirt, eating a pint of Chunky Monkey ice cream and watching a marathon of old romantic comedies.

Seriously, why couldn't her life be like Julia Robert's or Sandra Bullock's or Meg Ryan's? Well, maybe not their lives exactly, since the actresses were probably as unlucky in love in their real lives as she was. But definitely the characters they played in those little movies Keilani had gotten her hooked on.

A perfect job—well, with the exception of Vivian Ward, Julia's hooker with a heart of gold in _Pretty Woman_—a perfect man to sweep her off her feet and a perfect life…

_Was that really too much to ask for? Really?_

She was just at her favorite part of _Notting Hill_, where Julia's Anna tells Hugh Grant's William that she's just a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her. That part always guaranteed a good cry, and she needed a good excuse to cry, otherwise it would seem like she was sitting in raggedy shorts, stuffing her face, moping and crying over Jacob Black.

And she was not doing that! She was just in a little mood, that was all, and it would pass soon.

There was a knock at the door and then a prolonged press of the bell. If her nose hadn't been so stuffy from crying she would have been able to smell who it was. She touched her mark as she shivered involuntarily.

_Weird._

She huffed and put the movie on pause knowing she had to get up to see who the hell it was. If Paul had taken to showing up at her door now that she had changed her number, she was going to give him something that would make him never come back. Fuck a restraining order.

She looked through her peephole, and what she saw there shocked her to her core. Jacob was leaning against her door like he didn't have a care in the world. How he'd managed to get her address and why was he showing up at her place took second place in the line of questions running through her head. Those sensible questions had no billing with her.

No, the top thing on her mind was, _Do I look presentable enough for him to see me?_

"One second." She took the scrunchie out of her hair and gave her hair a quick finger toss. She looked down at what had formerly been her favorite pair of black shorts but had suddenly morphed into a fashion-don't now that Jake was going to see her in them looking like a slouch.

She opened the door, and her breath caught in her throat. Jake pulled her into his arms and kissed her, sending her world into the stratosphere and making a pretty shitty week all of a sudden _the best week ever_.

Jake knew he should have said something first before he just attacked Leah's lips. But seeing her there looking so adorable and clearly shocked to see him, made him want to kiss her and shock her even more. The more he tasted her, the more intense his feelings became.

She had left him, left him without a care or a way to contact her.

She had left him as if it had been the easiest thing in the world to do and gone back to her cheating ex-boyfriend.

His lips stopped mid kiss and he pulled away. He touched her face, stroking and caressing it lovingly as all the questions he wanted to ask her bounced around in his head.

"Is your _man_ here? You said the two of you broke up. But he answered your phone when I called you and staked his claim…" He took a deep breath, but he didn't take his hand off of her pretty face.

"My man? When did you call me? I don't have a man. No man should have answered my phone. And I just got my phone number changed because my ex wouldn't stop calling. He was still here when I came back from Blake. So I had to make him leave, and then I had the locks changed in case he had more copies of the keys. I left to go to the store while I waited for the twenty four hour lock smith to show up when it seemed like he was getting a little extra upset about the breakup. When I came back he had trashed the place and smashed my phone."

Jake nodded and walked into her condo. He probably should have waited for an invite, but…oh… well…

"Sorry about that. He probably decided to wreck the place after talking with me. He didn't seem to like what I had to say. And for the record, you _do_ have a man. And that would be me." He gave her a pointed stare that he really hoped she wouldn't argue with. They had wasted an entire week apart. That was too damn long. "And we are renegotiating your ground rules. I'm not letting you go."

He walked over to her sofa and sat down. A movie was on pause and a bunch of DVD cases from other movies were all over the place. _You've Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, Runaway Bride, How to Lose A Guy In Ten Days _and a bunch of other chick flicks were scattered all around.

_Someone must be in an interesting mood, _he mused.

He sat down on the sofa and picked up the empty pint of Chunky Monkey ice cream that was on the end table.

_Yes, someone must be in a really interesting mood. Regret maybe?_

He turned and saw that she was kind of stuck in the same spot. She hadn't moved at all. "Are you going to stand there all night?" he asked.

"No. I'm just wondering what you're doing here, Jake. I thought we agreed that we would have an island fling. No questions. No promises. No problems."

"And I told you I was agreeing to that mess under duress and I retained my right to change my mind. I've changed my mind. Come sit down by me, Leah. I've missed you."

Her eyes widened even more, but she came and sat down next to him. He fought the need to close his eyes and inhale her scent, just because he knew that he could.

His heart was beating like he had just run a marathon. He didn't know if he was truly ready to put everything on the line just for Leah to tell him no. He wanted so much more than to just continue their island fling.

He wanted to build a relationship with her. The truth was, he had finally found a woman that he wanted to be his wife, to have his children. And he didn't think he could take it if she turned him down once he put his entire heart on the line.

His mother was right. He was scared to lose, especially when it mattered. He now realized why the student government presidential election had plagued him for all those years. It wasn't losing the election that had hurt him. It was losing all of the possibility sparked by that one kiss with Leah that had hurt the most.

"How did you get here?" Leah asked. She had an expression on her face that was a mix between confused and irritated. "You're not supposed to be here, Jake! Why do you think people have boundaries? Just for you to stomp all over them whenever you like?"

The shock was wearing off, and she clearly had her guard up.

Jake turned to face her, pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She needed an outlet for all that fire, and he was more than willing to provide one.

Their heated passion took over in seconds, and she kissed him back instead of questioning his motives. He decided he would do that before he answered any of her questions, especially the ones where she had an attitude.

"You don't get to just put up boundaries when there are two people involved, Leah. Especially since we're marked. It's unfair. I'm not going to be my dad and let you string me along for thirty something years just because you think it's some kind of test of how much I care. You ran this time and I found you, but you can't keep running just because, Leah. You're not the only one who is scared."

He realized he had revealed way more than he had intended, but he couldn't stop himself. His stomach felt queasy, his throat was dry and his palms were sweating. He felt like he was walking a tightrope without a safety net. He usually enjoyed the thrill of risk taking. It lit fire to his blood. But risking things like money, property, status and anything else that didn't involve feelings was pretty easy for him. This kind of risk was not.

_This must be what it feels like to go for broke… _

He didn't like the feeling at all.

"It was hard enough to leave Blake—" she started.

"Didn't seem like it was hard to me. You just left me there without a word or a backward glance." Jake interrupted.

"It was hard, Jake! And now you're here and I don't think I'll be able to walk away from you again." She nibbled her upper lip and shook her head. "Don't you get it, Black?"

He traced her lips with his tongue deliberately, as though he had all the time in the word. And then he slowly snaked his tongue through her lips and touched hers ever so softly. It only took that moment of contact for her tongue to wake up and start dueling with his. Their tongues danced for several minutes before he pulled away.

"Good. I'm glad it will be hard for you to walk away again. It should always be hard for either one of us to walk away." He kissed her again before standing. He held out his hand. "Can we please go to your bedroom so I can show you how much I've missed you?"

She took about a second to contemplate before she followed him.

Leah let Jake into her bedroom. If Jake was determined to carry on their affair beyond the beautiful blue skies and teal waters of Blake, then she would just have to put on her big girl panties—or take them off, in this case—and have him for as long as it lasted.

She slowly undressed him, taking her time to appreciate every bulge and muscle she had thought she would never see again. His skin beckoned for a kiss and then a lick. So she kissed and licked every area she stripped. Soon he was standing in front of her naked in all his beautiful male glory. His manhood jutted forth like a very long, very sturdy rod. She dropped to her knees and took his shaft in her mouth, kissing and licking it the way she had the carious other parts of his body.

Just as she had wondered when he was giving her oral pleasure on the island, she again pondered how she could have gotten it all so very wrong.

Fellatio wasn't overrated at all. It was her new favorite thing, both the giving and receiving.

When she had driven him almost to the point of no return, he pulled out of her mouth with a gasp. He pulled her up and made quick work of her shorts and SPU T-shirt.

"Hey, be careful with the threads, dude. They're vintage." She joked when he yanked down her incredibly torn shorts.

He laughed, grabbed a condom from his pants on the floor and covered himself. When he came back to her, he tried to walk her backward to the bed. But she flipped the script, turned him around and walked him backward instead. She straddled him once she got him where she wanted him and eased down his shaft like she was coming home.

It felt wonderful.

She moved her hips up and down, riding him like a cowgirl riding a horse. She bent down and continued tracing the contours of his chest all the way up to his marked neck with her tongue as she rode him. He grabbed her hips and bucked upward, proving to be a pretty wild stallion indeed.

She clutched her inner thighs as her inner walls clutched him and held on for the ride of her life. They both rode until they found completion in sated bliss and then rode some more until she had fallen asleep in his arms.

On Sunday, Leah was laying half on top of Jacob and half on her bed in a food coma or something close to it.

"You want the last piece of pizza babe?" he asked.

Leah shook her head while she listened to the steady rhythm of his heart beat running her fingers through his silky black cropped hair on top of his head. "God no, if I ever see another slice of pizza in my life I'm going to..." She moaned not even bothering to finish her sentence.

Jake chuckled pulling the lower half of her body until she was straddling his stomach. She could feel how hard he was behind her because both of them had been sans clothes since the night before. She didn't comment on it since he always seemed to be that way anytime he was close to her.

"I told you, you couldn't hang with the big bad wolf." He kissed the top of her head as she let out a low growl, he chuckled again. "It's okay i promise not to damage your precious little rep Clearwater."

"Whatever Black…" she leaned her head up to look up at him as she continued running her fingers through his hair.

He had a soft smile on his face, and his eyes were closed. She might have thought he was sleep if he wasn't running the palm of his hand up and down her back, or if he didn't speak with that stupid half smirk. "Just admit it your wolf has nothing on mine. One for the wolf man and zero for the she-wolf."

"Turn that man into a boy and that sounds just like you. And you don't get a point for that." Leah scoffed until his fingers started to tickle her, she giggled for a few seconds before she said seriously. "You know I don't even know anything about your wolf side."

His eyes opened when she stopped rubbing his head and the most adorable pout came onto his face. "If you want to hear anything you'll restart what you were doing before." He said seriously as his hands began walking up and down her back slowly.

She tried to hide her laughter as she moved her fingers back to his hair and he immediately closed his eyes.

"You are such a baby." She rolled her eyes.

"I can live with that if you never stop." He sighed before opening one eye to look at her. "Please don't stop." He said closing his eyes again.

"Talk." She poked his forehead before continuing her massage.

"Ow fine woman." He slapped her behind before he began talking. "The first time I phased I had to have been…" he paused trying to think. "sixteen or seventeen. Before that I was a level headed kid but I remember getting pissed at how one of the guys was talking to my mom. The guy was messy drunk calling her all sorts of names and my dad was at work so I felt like the man and I had to step up." He started until Leah started cackling hard.

Jake opened both his eyes and stared down at her in confusion.

"Sorry." She took a breath. "I just pictured a smaller, less beefier version of you and—" she cut herself off. "—never mind continue…" she put one hand over her mouth to stop laughing.

Jake sat up fully pulling her with him as he leaned against her head board. Now she was straddling his lap with his erection between them as he grabbed both her wrists kissing both before he looked her in the eyes. "Be serious woman. You wanted to know and I'm trying to tell you." He clasped their hands together as she finished laughing and nodded. "So anyways I go off. I don't remember all of what I said, you would have to ask my mom about that part. But I remember feeling like my body was literally on fire. My mom didn't know what was going on but she got me out of there real quick. She thought I was dying, in fact I thought I was dying from all the pain I was in, until my dad came home and explained it all. It turns out a vamp had moved down the street, between the rum shack chump and the vamp that all triggered it for me. My dad said it skipped him because there were never any vampires around since it was always sunny—"

"How about your siblings?" Leah asked as he let go of her wrist to touch the mark on her neck. Leah shivered.

Jake shook his head as she reached out to touch his. He closed his eyes as he answered. "My sisters are completely normal, it was just me. Hints 'the lone wolf' title I wore so proudly. That was until I met you." He opened his eyes and locked eyes with her. "You're going to have to tell me your story later on, I want you so bad right now." he didn't wait for her to respond as he leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers.

All it took was that one bit of contact in order for the sparks to fly and for her to give into the kiss. She moved to her knees settling herself over his hard rod just as he reached over on the bedside table, ripped open the condom packet and rolled it onto himself. Then she lowered her hot heat onto his hard length, they both groaned in satisfaction when they were completely joined together.

He flipped them over and they made love well into the night. And when he left, telling her that he would be back on Monday evening after work, she was okay with that. She was going to ride this ride for as long as it lasted and worry about the consequences later.

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><p><strong>Hahahahaha I was considering them meeting under different circumstances but that just wouldn't have been as fun as the next chapter is going to be<strong>

**Plus Jake and Leah needed this talk... at least I think so.**

**Because I love me some Blackwater.**

**Who loves Blackwater?**

**Britt loves Blackwater!**

**is it true?**

**I do, I do, I doooooo (In Kel's voice) **

**Hahaha I need to sleep because everything is funny right now...Staying up for 24 hours is not a smart idea lol.  
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**My other stories will be updated by the end of the day :)  
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**As always I'm amazed to find out who is actually reading my stories when I read the reviews & see the stats **

**I can't say this enough but honestly you guys make me majorly happy with your thoughts, criticism and opinions.  
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**So keep them coming**

**Review lovies!  
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	14. Ch14:Blah, Blah, Blah

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight but I own a new pair of open toe heels that are to die for… ahahaha :)**

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><p><strong>Ch14:Blah, Blah, Blah<br>**

"Wait until you meet the guy they hired to head up Mergers and Acquisitions. I know you threw your hat in the ring for that position, Leah. But you barely do a decent job without me riding you 24/7 here in Finance. This guy they hired, due to my recommendation, of course—" Sam Uley took a breather to puff out his already overstuffed chest before finishing "—is a real predator in the business world. He's not afraid to do what it takes to win."

Leah rolled her eyes as she listened to her division head go on and on about the new hire. He delighted in rubbing her nose in the fact that someone else had gotten the position she had wanted so very badly.

She wanted to do him bodily harm, and she despised him for bringing out this evil part of her. She could have gone her entire life without even knowing that something like that existed in her. Her wolf who really wanted to stab Sam Uley in the eye with her number two pencil and laugh crazily was livid inside her head, and Leah had to do everything in her power to keep that part of her chained and subdued or else…

They were sitting in the conference room waiting for the president of Mainstay to come in and introduce the new boy wonder. The person's identity had been kept hush-hush, but now everyone was going to meet the guy.

Leah couldn't care less. Any friend of Sam Uley's was an enemy of hers. That was for certain. She couldn't care less if the man walked on water and turned said water into wine. She was not going to like him. Period.

Leah shivered slightly touching her turtleneck blouse that was hiding her mark. She could have sworn she caught Jake's scent but why would he be here? Her mind couldn't wander for too long with Sam's irritating voice nagging in her ear.

She practiced trying to zone Sam out as he went on and on about the last report she had written that apparently wasn't up to standards.

_Big. Surprise._

She tried not to hate people, but she was starting to hate Sam Uley.

Who was she kidding? She despised the man. She didn't know if she could despise anymore more until she saw Jacob Black walking into the conference room with the president of Mainstay, Tyler Crowley.

Jake had taken her new job.

Jake was a friend of Sam's.

Jake had made love to her like no one ever had, shown her his softer side and made her fall in love with him.

And Jake had taken her job.

The jerk!

Oh sure, Jake seemed shocked at seeing her there. But one look at Sam Uley's smug face told her that somehow he and Jake must have been in cahoots. Sam was one step away from saying, _Na-na-na-na-na. _And she just knew that's what he was thinking when she saw Sam's facial expression.

_The award to greatest stunned actor: Jacob fucking Black, _Leah body tensed and she could already feel the heat creep up her spine as if she were going to phase._  
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When Leah's hands started to tremble she began thinking of ways to calm herself, knowing she couldn't just walk out of the office. _Woosah. Woosah._

She tried to calm the crazy, pencil-wielding maniac wolf inside of her, but it was harder than it usually was. There were two people she wanted to puncture with her trusty number two now…

Everything went by in a blur. The introductions, Tyler Crowley reciting Jake's impressive resume, all it might as well have been_ blah, blah, blah_ as far as Leah was concerned.

Her heart felt as if someone had taken a butcher knife to it. She just knew her chest had to be bloody and her heart must have been spurting all over the place, because that's what it felt like. She couldn't get over the hurt and betrayal she felt.

Was this or was this not the same man who had just made love to her all day Sunday? Had he or had he not begged her to continue their fling—which he was now calling a "relationship," by the way…

When the traitor finally made his way to her division, she had resolved that she would play it cool in the workplace. But the first chance she got outside of work, it was going to be on!

"Hey, Leah. I didn't know you worked for Mainstay." Jake glared at Sam. "That's something you could have told me, Sam."

Sam laughed his boisterous, annoying "ah ha ha ha, ah ha ha ha ha" that sounded like a jacked up Santa who didn't know his lines. She hated Sam's laugh almost as much as she hated Sam.

"So you're trying to tell me that you didn't know I worked here?" Leah seethed. "Next thing you'll be saying is you didn't know that I was also in the running for your job until the company found out that they could get this whiz-kid interloper."

Jake's eyes narrowed.

Sam smiled. "Almost karmic isn't it? Except karma had nothing to do with it." Sam walked away, looking a little too pleased with himself.

Jake sighed. "I honestly didn't know Leah. We didn't talk about work in Blake. And Sam didn't let on that you worked here. He certainly didn't tell me that you also wanted this job. If he had, I can't say for sure it would have made a difference when I first applied, because a few weeks ago I still held a grudge against you and it would have made my big ego feel vindicated to know I beat you out of something you wanted…" he paused. "But now I feel horrible."

"Yeah, right, Jacob. Listen, I don't believe in fraternizing with my colleagues and especially not my superiors… so, needless to say, anything we agreed on continuing yesterday is null and void today." she was about to walk away but he grabbed her arm. The usual sparks flew through her body but Leah fought it moving her arm out of his grip. "Don't you fucking touch me. Ever again." she snarled. "Null in void get that through your thick head _Mr. Black_. It's done." she snarled.

He immediately frowned growling lowly as he moved his now fisted hands back to his side. "The hell it is Leah. You don't get to just decide that—"

"The hell I don't!" she narrowed her eyes at him in disgust. "careful _Mr. Black_, you don't want to pick up a harassment suit on your first day." She raised her left eyebrow. "Stay the fuck away from me or you'll be sorry." Leah turned and walked away with her head held high even though her heart seemed to break with each step she took.

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><p>Jake didn't know what to make of the fact that Leah worked at Mainstay and Sam hadn't thought it was important to share that tidbit of information. Sam had probably been going for the shock factor. Especially since he knew how much Jake had hated losing that election to Leah years ago. But Sam would have been the one in shock if he had known just how far past all of that nonsense Leah and Jake had moved.<p>

Only to end up further back than they had started! Jake knew in his heart that Leah had meant every word she had uttered to him in the conference room on his first day. That first workday had kept him too busy to go and talk with her again. He'd had a whole new company and a whole new way of doing things to process. But he did try to talk to her later that evening and again and again every day since.

When he tried to call her she didn't answer.

When he dropped by she refused to answer the door. And he knew she was in there, because he could smell her. He almost took to breaking her door but that would give her another reason to be upset with him.

He knew she was hurting because he could feel it. But he was hurting, too. Being without her was killing his spirit.

As he sat in his office wondering if she would make good on her threat to file a sexual harassment suit if he didn't leave her alone, Sam came waltzing in.

"So, I thought I would give you a little time to get lay of the land and get over the shock of seeing Leah here. I thought that would get you good, seeing her. But don't worry. She's on her way out of here, man. As soon as I can manage it, I'm axing her behind I'm just biding time since she's worked here for a while."

Jake wanted to punch that smug look off Sam's face. But he knew if he had he might accidently end up smashing his skull and killing him. So he decided to let the chump cut enough rope to hang himself. As hard as it was to listen to Sam, he just let the man talk.

Jake leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet up on his desk. "I was rather surprised to see her, and even more surprised that you would think I didn't need to know that little piece of information before I took a job here."

Sam grinned rubbing his jaw. "That's the beauty of it my friend. You can help me get rid of her and pay her back for wiping the floor with you during the election. Just think of her little prissy know it all self out of a job in her thirties, in this economy. It would be a dish served cold for sure." Sam took a seat without being offered one.

Jake tried to keep himself calm, but the venom in Sam's voice was taking him to a place of no return. He cleared his throat and loosened the knot in his tie a little. It helped stop him from pummeling Sam for the moment. Jake needed more information. Sam seemed to have far too much anger where Leah was concerned.

"Tell me something, Sam, what did Leah ever do to you? Why do you dislike her so much?"

"I don't dislike her. I hate her." he spat as he put his index finger up. "First, she thought she was too cute to give a guy the time of day in college. I asked her out and she turned me down flat." He paused and clasped his hands together as he fluttered his eyes open and closed. "But then she used to make goo-goo eyes over you, left and right, when she thought no one was looking. I could tell she had a thing for you even then. She probably still does, I caught her watching you the other day all longingly when thought no one was watching her. I bet it's killing her having you here!"

Jake thought he was done but Sam continued to dig his own grave. "Do you know she didn't even remember me at first when I came to work here?" he asked incredulously continuing before Jake could think to answer. "Me? After all that time we all spent in the student government office, she had the nerve to have to be reminded of who I was." He said bitterly. "But she remembered you just fine, didn't she. I always knew she had a thing for you. And that night when you were feeling her up and kissing her in the SG office… man, that was something." He shook his head. "I thought the two of you were going to take it all the way. I was glad I had my camera. But she stopped after all that teasing."

Jake stood up then. "_You _took the picture of us kissing?" He walked around the desk and stood by Sam's chair.

Sam sprang up and backed away, clearly rethinking what he had, in his bitter tirade about Leah, over shared. "Okay, listen… you're going to find this sort of funny." He chuckled a bit before he realized Jake wasn't joining him, then he immediately began to talk fast. "Yes, I took the picture of you two kissing. I don't know why I took it. But after I took it, I figured it would be a way to possibly snag the election for myself. I figured once it was leaked, it would ruin both of your chances and I could swoop in as the write-in. So, you see, Leah ruined the election for me, as well." Sam backed up inching toward the door

It was all Jake could do not to phase as his hands quaked. But he did follow Sam's every step, though. And his hands did find their way around Sam's neck quicker than a flash. Before he knew it, he had Sam against his office door.

"Hey, man, it was just a college election," Sam stammered as his feet dangled in the air. "This is unprofessional, man! I could get you fired for this or press charges. You need to watch it! Sheesh! I can't believe you're bugging out like this."

Jake sneered, feeling more like a wolf in his human form than he had ever felt in his life. The need for blood raced through him.

"Let me get this clear. Were you trying to use me in your sick little vendetta against Leah?" Jake gritted his teeth, and he still hadn't let go of Sam's neck or let him down from the wall.

"Yes… I mean, no… I mean… I don't know man…" Sam's answer changed each time Jake's grip tightened on his neck.

"Okay. You seem confused." Jake tried to say calmly although he could even hear the growl that was vibrating through him. "Let me clear this up for you. You are going to let go of this little vendetta of yours. Because Leah Clearwater is off limits. I will go to any length to protect people who are important to me. And Leah is the most important person in the world to me. She's the woman I love. And if you so much as look at her sideways, you don't even want to know what I'll do to you."

Jake let Sam slide down from the door as Sam coughed and gasped for air. Jake straightened his tie and started walking toward his desk. "Get the hell out of my office, Sam. And do me a favor and stay away from me. It would be in your best interest."

Sam gained a little more courage once his feet were on the ground and the door was partially opened. "You stay the hell away from me, too, Black. Based on our former friendship, I won't press charges on your ass. But for the record, we are no longer friends!"

Jake narrowed his eyes and started walking back toward Sam. "Why the fuck are you still in my office?"

Sam made haste getting out of there. Jake went to close the door, catching a hint of Leah's scent that caused him to almost rip his door open, throw Leah over his shoulder and not give a damn what anyone else thought. Instead he collapsed in his chair with his head in his hands and tried to think of the ways it would take to win the love of his life back.

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><p><strong>Okay I'm no longer saying that I'm going to update my other stories and then not have the chance to.<strong>

**But I'll get back on point after my life goes back to what I like to call semi normal.  
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**Yay! \(^-^)/ the drama is far from over. In fact it's just started since Jake still hasn't tried to get Leah back. And all I'll say to that is 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' hahaahahaha  
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** I'll try not to start anymore new stories until I update the other ones I already have up.**

**And I just realized I use the word 'fuck' alot when I write... hahaha... ah well...**

**Anyways Review :)  
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	15. Ch15:Let's Talk Business

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight... but I own a look alike Nicki Minaj wig I'm pretty SM doesn't have that...**

** why did I buy it? I'll just keep that small tidbit to myself ... lol :)**

**Happy Reading!  
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><p><strong>Ch15:Let's Talk Business<br>**

Leah sat in her office, stunned. She had gone looking for Sam and was more than a little irritated to have to hunt him down in Jake's office of all places.

She so did not want to have to see Jake with all his I'm-sorry-I-didn't know crap. He had been calling her and trying to see her, but she had been doing a pretty good job of not seeing him. It hurt too much to see him, and now she really couldn't have him because he was in league with The Evil One.

She didn't know what she had done to Sam to make him hate her so much, but she did know that if Jake had ever really cared anything for her, he wouldn't be a friend to a person who despised her to the degree that Sam did.

She walked up to Jake's office. She could hear Sam's big, ugly, braggadocio voice clear into the hall. And what she heard shocked her to her core. Sam's vicious hatred spilling forth to a clearly listening and willing participant—Jake: _That's the beauty of it. You can help me get rid of her and pay her back for wiping the floor with you during the election. Just think of her little prissy-know-it-all self out of a job in her thirties, in this economy. It would be a dish served cold for sure._

That was enough to seal the deal for her. Jake was in league with the devil. It was only after she got back to her office to calm her shaking body that she realized she was giving both of those pigs too much leeway. She wasn't going to take any more of Sam's crap, and she was going to confront Jake about his part in this. The least he owed her was an explanation.

She went back to Jake's office after contemplating what to do. The workplace was not the place for their confrontation.

She left a note on Jake's secretary's desk telling him they needed to talk. They needed to get this over with one and for all.

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><p>After work, Jake decided to go to the 100 Successful Businesspeople of Seattle mixer he had been debating whether to attend. He had been a member for the past ten years and found the networking beneficial, but he just wasn't the mood that night.<p>

Leah was clearly still avoiding him, because he hadn't seen or caught her scent at all that day at work. Sam's confession still had him steaming, and he couldn't believe that Sam had basically used him as a weapon against the woman he loved.

He knew he couldn't allow Sam to continue using him to hurt Leah. He would have to leave Mainstay. Luckily, he was in the right place to get the ball rolling on that.

He turned from the bar area and smiled. He saw just the woman who would allow him to land another position and thus clear the way for him to right his wrongs with Leah. This fellow businesswoman owned one of the top import/export businesses in Seattle, if not the entire country. She'd been trying to get Jake to come into the large Quileute-based company for years. She had also been trying to get Jake to meet her sister in law for years. Jake wasn't interested in the sister in law, but he was interested in the job.

Jake held out his hand in greeting and the two of them shook hands.

"How's it going, Harrington?" Jake said as he shook hands with Keilani Harington.

"Things would be going a whole lot better if I could entice you to Harrington Enterprise, Black." Keilani hedged.

"Let's talk business then," Jake flashed his million dollar smile as they walked away to find a nice corner to negotiate in.

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><p>After having secured another job and given his notice to the higher ups at Mainstay, there was only one thing left for Jake to do… get his woman back.<p>

That Friday morning at Mainstay started like any other morning, with an end of the week meeting in which all of the division heads met with the president of the company to discuss the week's events and plan for the following Monday's all company meeting.

Being in the same room with Sam was a chore, but at least he wouldn't have to suffer the chump much longer.

"I have one more thing I would like to bring up and I hate to bring it up right before the holidays. But something has to be done with Leah Clearwater. She just isn't cutting it in finance." Sam spoke like it pained him to be throwing Leah under the bus, but Jake knew differently.

Jake narrowed his eyes at Sam in warning.

Tyler Crowley, the president of the company, cleared his throat. "I know that you have had some concerns about Leah in the past, Uley, but you haven't said anything in a while, and she was a stellar employee before you came here."

Sam blew out a breath in irritation. "I know what her record was before I came here, and that is why I have kept her so long—"

"I think Leah Clearwater needs a more challenging position." Jake cut Sam off. "Since my position will be open again now that I'll be leaving Mainstay in the New Year. I would think that Leah should be considered for it."

Tyler Crowley nodded. "I wanted Clearwater for the promotion, since we usually try to promote from within. But once we found out that we would be able to get a shark like you in the tank, well…" Crowley laughed. "Sorry there just wasn't enough excitement here to keep you motivated, Black. If there was a VP slot open, I might be able to compete with your offer and come up with a counteroffer… But enough of that, I value your opinion, Black. You're a good man. Clearwater is definitely my pick for division leader in Mergers in Acquisitions. And since I'm the president, my pick holds weight."

Sam raised his index finger in the air as he spoke. "But, sir surely—"

This time Crowley cut Sam off. "There's no need to argue, Uley. You wanted to do something about Clearwater, and come the New Year, she'll be out of your division and out of your hair. This meeting is adjourned."

Jake walked out of Sam's office feeling just two inches shy of vindicated. He clearly needed to have one more conversation with Sam about Leah.

But when he walked up on Leah blasting Sam off, he began to rethink his original line of thought. Leah didn't need him to save her. She could very well take care of herself.

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><p>Leah had known the pencil wielding maniac was going to break free sooner or later. She tried to coax her back into the cage, but it was too much fun being up in Sam's face pointing her pencil at him. If anyone asked her he should be lucky he was only getting the pencil and not her canine teeth against his throat instead.<p>

Sam had just come back from the division leaders meeting even more evil than his typically evil self. She had almost thought he was going to stop being such a bear, because he had been somewhat civil the past few days. But no… he was at it again.

So there she stood in front of him, waving her pencil and waging holy hell.

"And another thing." She sneered. "I am not incompetent. You are just impossible to please, and you would know competent and professional behavior if it smacked you in the face. I am good at my job, and you had better start treating me with some respect or I will file a grievance and I will keep filing grievances until I have your job. Are we clear?"

Sam didn't say anything. He just glared at her before turning his attention elsewhere.

She noticed that he was looking behind her, and for a moment she panicked thinking it might be another company higher up. She had tried to keep herself tamed, but the crazy wolf inside had had enough.

She sniffed lightly taking in Jake's scent, she fought the desire to close her eyes as she did so.

_Oh good, _the crazy side of her with the pencil thought, _the other one._

After a few seconds she finally turned to have it out with Jake. She hadn't wanted to do this in the workplace, but since he didn't seem to want to come see her at home as she had asked him to in the note she left for him days ago, oh, well…

As she walked over to him, he walked around her and over to Sam.

"Hey!" _What the hell!_

Leah spun around and followed Jake.

"I suggest you heed her warning, Sam. Because if I have to tell you again not to mess with the woman I love, it won't be pretty. Leah can clearly take care of herself. But just in case I didn't make myself clear enough the other day, my woman is off limits. You harm her in any way and I will kick your ass. I might not be working here at Mainstay after the New Year, but trust and believe I will know if you do anything to her. And be clear, I don't make idle threats." Jake spoke his words in an eerily calm voice although his hands were balled up.

Leah's eyes were wide with shock. She certainly hadn't seen that coming. Even the crazy, pencil wielding wolf inside of her was quelled. Leah backed up as Jake turned and started walking away.

"Hey!" she followed behind him.

"You said you don't want to talk about our relationship at work, so we'll talk later, Leah. And just so you know, I'm taking another position at another company, so all your little no-fraternizing rules will be null and void." Jake dropped his declarations and kept right on stepping.

She kept right on following. "But I left you a note days ago asking you to come and see me at my condo, and you never showed."

Jake stopped then and gazed at her. After giving her a once over he seemed to calm down just a little.

"I never got your note," he said. He reached out and touched her mark that was beneath her turtleneck top, watching as she shivered under his caress. "We'll talk soon love." And he left.

Leah stood there dumbstruck at the fact that he just called her 'love' until Sam walked up behind her.

"I took the note you left for him, and ripped it up into tiny pieces and then I threw it in the trash." He chuckled as he boasted proudly. "You may have used his idiotic feelings for you to screw your way into the Mergers and Acquisitions division leader position once he leaves, but you're still a pathetic, sorry little… Ouuuchhhh! You. Bitch!" Sam grabbed his thigh in the spot where her pencil had jabbed him.

She looked down at her hand and waited for the moment of regret to come. When it didn't, she just beamed. "You should be lucky it wasn't my teeth. But really? Your acting like a baby over a pencil jab?" she shook her head with her wolfish like smile still on her face. "It was just a poke in the meatiest part of your thigh. Man up _bitch_!"

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><p><strong>Okay so this chapter didn't turn out like I wanted it to but it's supposed to help next chapter flow better and we did get some info :D<strong>

**I hopee.. **

**As to why Keilani kept her maiden name for this chapter even though she's married to Seth... it's only for the business aspect and another reason but I won't give that away unless you already figured it out :)  
><strong>

**But anyways this story is just about winding down, I'm hoping to give this a better ending than The Black Getaway. Then I'm going to buckle down and focus on the 3 other stories I've been neglecting.  
><strong>

**The heels that I have in my possession are : Christian louboutin red open toe with lace, I can barely walk in em' but once I get the hang of it, it's a wrap :)  
><strong>

**Did everyone hear about Kiowa Gordon's (the guy that plays our beloved Embry) warrant/DUI? :(**

**Anyways I'm getting carried away.**

**Jake & Leah time next chapter... Yay \(^-^)/  
><strong>

**Review :)  
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	16. Ch16:Misery & Wanting to Wallow in It

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight**

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><p><strong>Ch16:Misery &amp; Wanting to Wallow in It<br>**

The entire week at work Leah felt like she was moving in slow motion. Jake still hadn't come to see her so they could talk. She wasn't even anywhere close to mad at him anymore. And she was beginning to think that she had blown it big time with him. The pencil to the thigh must have done its job—that and Jake's threats, no doubt—because Sam had stopped being a jerk for the most part. So that was one saving grace.

Another saving grace was that her brother, Seth had put the fear into Paul when he had shown up at her condo more than a little tipsy begging her to take him back. Keilani, Seth and the kids had come over to help her decorate her Christmas tree. They had all decorated Sue's tree the week before. And they were going to have a big tree trimming party at Seth and Keilani's mansion.

When they were all at her condo, Paul had shown up and Seth took a little walk with him. Leah normally would have felt sorry for Paul and told Seth to go easy on him. But she didn't have it in her that day. Her next step was a restraining order. When Seth came back and told her that Paul wouldn't be bothering her again, her only response was, "You didn't kill him or anything, right?"

When Seth gave her a funny look and said no, she was cool with whatever he had done and didn't need any more explanation.

But Seth sure did want more enlightenment about the mark on her neck. He crossed his arms over his chest and said one word, "Explain."

So Leah ended up telling her brother as much of the story as she could excluding Jake's name—it hurt too much to do so— and she definitely didn't go into detail about the sexual acts. Seth didn't buy it, so he said they would talk more about it after Christmas, just the two of them, and he wanted more specifics than she had given him.

Her family's all-consuming holiday preparations kicked into high gear with Christmas right around the corner. Seth and their mom were making more demands on her time. And even though she was feeling more than a little antisocial, she relished having something to focus on besides the fact that Jake had professed his love for her when he threatened Sam, and then didn't talk to her about it at all.

So, she took the Christmas shopping trips and the Christmas baking that her family demanded of her in stride. At least if she kept busy, she thought, she wouldn't have a spare moment to think about Jacob.

Keeping herself busy didn't seem to do the trick of making Leah forget about him, though. She told herself that she was a Clearwater and she was tough enough to handle it. But what did she make of the fact that Jake was leaving Mainstay in the New Year and the job that she wanted, the job that she thought he had stolen, was going to be hers, after all?

She had believed she had everything under control, but there was the little problem of not being able to sleep because she missed Jake so much and the stupid mark throbbed painfully the more they stayed away from one another.

Miserable and wanting to wallow in it, Leah was the last person folks should have wanted at any holiday tree trimming party. She wasn't in the mood to party. But she couldn't very well take another island trip the way she had done the week of Thanksgiving. And somehow the idea of an island getaway without Jake by her side held very little appeal.

She was committed to drinking eggnog and trying to have fun in spite of not having heard from Jake yet. Feeling like a confused Mrs. Scrooge, she gathered the Christmas spirit to go on.

She knew an evening with her niece and nephews would ground her at least for the evening, but what was she going to do with Jake's declaration of love, especially since she hadn't heard from him since then? Could she trust in it and risk her heart for more than a fling? Could she take the chance that what she and Jake had was the real thing?

When her mark caused a slight shiver to go through her heated body, Leah rolled her eyes wishing the damn thing could be taken off or something. And after catching a hint of Jake's scent she knew she was partly going insane.

After a few moments of trying to get herself together, she rang the doorbell to her brother and sister in law's mansion fully expecting their long time maid to answer the door. But instead, Jake answered the door.

Surprised and also a little giddy, she took a small step back, "Jake? What are you doing at my brother's house?"

Jake grinned, his sexy little grin and looked up. She followed his gaze and noticed the mistletoe and gently coaxed her lips open. He kissed her with a pent up desire that amazed her as his hand automatically went to the mark at her neck.

When he finally pulled his mouth away, he moved his hand and inhaled her scent as if he were taking everything into memory. Leah had no idea how long they stood out there before he took her hand and walked inside, closing the door behind him.

He led her to the downstairs sitting room and kneeled in front of her when she sat down on the Queen Anne sofa. He took her hand in his and she felt her heart stop and start again.

Jake stared at her intently. His gaze had purpose. She held her breath and then let it go nervously about three times before he opened his mouth to speak.

"As it turns out, Leah, a friend of mine from the 100 Successful Businesspeople of Seattle group that I belong to has been trying to get me to come and work for her family-owned import-export company for years. But I could never give up the thrill of corporate raiding to work importing and exporting petroleum from the Bahamas to the states. When I finally left corporate raiding for a kinder, gentler job, she came at me again wanting me to join her company. This time I took her seriously. And given your no fraternizing rules…" he slanted his eye at her playfully. "We have to do something about all your rules, by the way…"

She giggled softly and let out the breath she had been holding, only to start holding it again. She actually really giggled and Leah Clearwater had never done that.

If Jake was going where she thought he was going…

She exhaled again and then inhaled deeply, holding it until she couldn't any longer, and started the process again and again. It seemed to help a little with her nerves.

"Anyway, given your rules about dating in the workplace, I knew I had to find another job. So I finally told this friend of mine that I would join her company. And she was very happy. But then she started going on and on about this sister in law of hers that she wanted to try and arrange for me to 'casually' meet so she wouldn't think she was trying to set her up. She had been trying to get me to meet this elusive sister in law of hers ever since I had met her years ago, and since I had had no desire to settle down and valued my friendship with this woman, I had always respectfully declined. But this time she went on and on about this sister in law who was sweet but had some odd obsession with lame men that couldn't handle her and whose latest loser boyfriend had the nerve to cheat on her. And her story sounded so familiar that I had to ask her what her sister in law's name was."

Leah exhaled then. Her heart burst with so much love and joy it made her stomach ache. She clutched her free hand over her mouth.

"I'd never asked before, and now I'm sorry because as it turns out her sister in law is the woman of my dreams." Jake pulled a ring box out of his pocket.

"Say yes, Aunt Lee Lee, say yes!" Her little niece was jumping up and down with glee.

"Shhhh," Keilani placed her finger in front of her mouth to quiet her rambunctious daughter.

Surprised, Leah looked up. Her senses seemed to be all out of wack with Jake talking to her the way he was. She was shocked to see Seth and Keilani standing in the sitting room with the little terror Evie and their sons Seth II and Harry. Her mom and the maid were also standing there waiting with soft smiles on their faces also.

She turned her gaze back to Jake and she let herself believe what she was almost too scared to believe.

Jake opened the ring box and the most beautiful diamond ring she had ever seen was inside. It was a princess cut diamond with small round diamonds around the band.

She opened her mouth and closed it again. She couldn't speak. She didn't know what to say. She felt a tear coming down her cheek, and Jake wiped it away.

"Now keep in mind, if you say yes, we are going to have to reenact this entire thing for my mom, dad and all the patrons of Sarah's Rum Shack."

She nodded and Jake laughed.

"And also keep in mind that if you say yes, you are forever barred from coming up with any rules or ground rules meant to limit my time with you. You'll be stuck with me forever, Leah."

Leah closed her eyes and nodded as her heart melted with pure and unmitigated relief and belief.

He said _forever,_ and _forever_ meant happily ever after.

"Leah Clearwater, I love you. Will you marry me?"

Leah hit him pretty hard on his chest as she narrowed her eyes, "You had me going crazy for a freaking week."

He didn't even flinch, deciding to smirk instead as he remained silent.

"But I love you more than words could ever say, so I guess being your wife wouldn't be too bad." Leah grinned and everyone began to laugh in the room.

"She would be the only person who wouldn't just say yes."Keilani muttered as she finished laughing.

"I'm taking that as a yes." Jake leaned in to kiss her then, sweetly and completely.

They then trimmed the tree and took advantage stealing kisses of every single mistletoe hanging in the mansion- that is, whenever Keilani and Seth weren't taking advantage of it.

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><p><strong>I was considering having Leah lash out on Jake but she couldn't really be mad at him with the miscommunication...<br>**

**I'll probably only update one of my stories tomorrow because my birthday is Sunday and I'll finally be the big 21 :D**

**Cheers to the Freakin' Weekend :)**

**Review loves!  
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	17. Epilogue:Rival Turned Lover

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight.**

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><p><strong>Epilogue:Rival Turned Lover<br>**

Jacob had one of the toughest weeks of his life, after finding out that Keilani Harrington-Clearwater had actually been trying to set him up with Leah all this time made his thoughts run rampant. He could have possibly reconnected with Leah sooner had he actually sat down with Keilani and asked for more information on the mysterious sister in law. He then retracted that thought; Leah more than likely would have just tried to take a chunk out of him after telling him where he could not so nicely shove it.

He took in her words when they were still on the island. _This could all possibly be a fluke; us being here on the island could be effecting how we really feel._

Leah might have been right. He knew that had they crossed paths under different circumstances than his home island before they had really gotten to know each other—before they had fallen for one another, she would have tried to tear his head off. And he would have been hell bent on rubbing it in her face that he had taken the job that she would have obtained had he not accepted it. He never would have been able to touch her, love her, or know her. That notion caused a shudder to run through his entire body, he couldn't even imagine that now. He loved her with everything in him and his wolf was absolutely enamored with her.

He knew in his heart she loved him and wanted him. His bite mark that was still tender to the touch for being separated from his mate, told him as much. He could feel all her emotions bumbling up inside him. And after checking in as much as he emotionally could without hurting himself, he knew she was feeling just as miserable at the separation.

But what could he do to fix the mess he had created?

He couldn't just show up on Leah's doorstep with some roses in hopes that she would take him back with open arms. Leah was a difficult woman at best, and Jake knew he loved her for it. But it also made things harder for him, he had to come up with a plan that would have her in his arms— or preferably in his lap—by the time he was done with her.

Did he love her? Yes.

Did he want to spend the rest of his life with her? With everything in him.

So after telling Keilani pieces of the story—excluding the wolf bit—her eyes widened and she demanded that he meet her husband Seth Clearwater. In the short time that Jake had spent getting to know Leah, he still didn't know too much of her personal life, family included. Jake knew that Leah mentioned having a brother and a mother, remembering how Leah had spoken about the two of them, he knew they were all really close. But outside of that he had no idea.

Jake didn't know what to expect when he met Seth, but one whiff and Jake knew that Seth had been a wolf at one point. It only took one look to see that Seth and Leah were related. It caused Jake to miss her even more than he already had. Even though Seth had stopped phasing and was finally aging, he still had a look of youth to him.

Just as Jake had figured that Seth was wolf, Seth spotted the same in him.

Keilani grinned listening in as she made sandwiches at the kitchen counter. "I knew there was something different about you, I just couldn't put my finger on it. You hide your wolf spirit well."

Seth smiled at his wife for a second before his eyes zeroed into the mark on Jake's neck and he nodded his head towards it, "You already mated or imprinted?"

"I mated with Leah." Jacob told him without breaking eye contact. No sense in hiding it now, besides he needed all the help he could get. Who would know Leah better than she knew herself? Hopefully Seth did, Jake had thought as he began trying to explain things. Beginning with being attracted her since college, knowing she was a wolf, meeting up again, falling in love with her, and the whole crazy job debacle.

"Wow," Seth rubbed the back of his neck as Keilani brought a large plate of sandwiches and placed it on the table in front of them. "Well that changes things…." Seth moved his arm around Keilani pulling her close to him even though he was sitting and she was standing.

She seemed used to his casual caresses because she just looked down at him and ran her fingers through his hair. "We're having a tree trimming party. Leah will be here, you should definitely come."

Jake could clearly see Seth's love for his imprint ran deep when Seth looked up at her before nodding in agreement.

"Well you see, I sort of made a mess of things and although I've told her I would come by and talk to her I already know Leah won't take me back easily." Jake began to explain his hands pressed together as if he were about to pray.

"You got that right." Seth muttered before he growled lowly. "I'm assuming you heard about Paul?"

Jake nodded containing his own growl, but didn't elaborate any further than that. Paul was not a factor, Jake could handle him easily. Leah was Jake's main concern right then.

"So what you're telling us, you need reinforcements?" Keilani flashed a bright smile, if Seth wasn't holding her waist, Jake was pretty sure she would be bouncing in excitement.

Jake moved his hands apart, placing his palms flat on the table giving an almost wolfish grin. "Actually I came to ask who I have to speak with to ask for her hand in marriage."

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><p>A few weeks later both Leah and Jake were back where they started on their reconnection, on another plane ride towards Blake. But instead of trying to ignore Jake like she had tried the first flight they'd had when they still hated each other, it took everything in her to keep her hands off of him. He let her have the window seat and lifted the arm separating them so that there was no space to keep them apart. He had his large warm arm behind her back with his hand possessively on her hip. Every few seconds he would caress her with his calloused fingertips.<p>

His head nuzzled the mark on her neck as he inhaled her scent deeply, "You know, if I knew we would both be able to fit in those bathrooms back there I would take you right now."

Leah shivered involuntarily leaning onto his strong muscled chest biting his clothed nipple hiding her smile. "You're a pervert."

"Says the woman of my dreams biting my nipple right now." he said gruffly his breath fanning over her mark with each word.

Leah was so incredibly turned on at that moment that she hardly found it fair. She knew he could smell her just as she could feel his length pressing into her palm that was placed on his jean clad thighs. She didn't know if she would ever get enough of him. Not after that whole miserable week of being apart from him. Her wolf was extremely content, the most content she had been since Leah first changed.

After they left the Christmas party and returned to her condo, he made love to her over and over and over again. They only got out of bed to eat and to shower when necessary which was rather pointless as they incessantly went for another round as soon as they saw the rumpled bed.

The phone continued to ring unanswered, it took Seth and Keilani coming over pounding on the door until Leah finally answered it in one of Jake's enormous T-shirts. One look at Leah's disheveled hair, glowing sexually satisfied face and Jake's possessive hand on her, Seth and Keilani got out of there quickly. Neither of them even said why they had stopped by to visit but the phone stopped ringing.

"Sleep love, you'll need all the rest as you can get as soon as my mom gets her hands on you I'm afraid I might have to fight to get you back." He sounded amused at his words.

Leah snuggled more into Jake's side letting sleep take her for the rest of the plane ride.

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><p>To say that Sarah was happy for Leah and Jake was the understatement of the year. Sarah wanted pictures for everything. And anyone who missed the re-enactment of the engagement was forced to sit through their dinner and or drinks listening to Sarah show and talk about every picture she had taken of the two on her digital camera. Every time Leah had tried to sneak away to talk to Jake, Billy and or Sarah separated them to speak with someone else.<p>

By the time Leah left the rum shack she was utterly exhausted. Neither Jake nor Leah said anything on the drive back to his place. Leah actually curled up in her seat and had fallen asleep immediately. Leah didn't open her eyes until she had heard the purr of his engine cut off. He opened the door for her as she released her seatbelt. Then he helped her out the car.

She had taken off her heels somewhere between Jake's car and the front door holding them in her hands. Jake was standing in front of his house unlocking it so they could get inside and hopefully clean separately, Leah thought.

Leah had to shower the night crazy events away, she had fun but Jake was right about Sarah stealing her away. Leah all but started to run to the bathroom to shower alone as soon as the front door to his home was opened. She threw her heels on the floor by the potted plant letting her muscles bunch up so she could get to the shower first. Jake chuckled at her antics. She only got five steps past him before he caught her, lifting her up into his arms with a look of determination on his face. She wanted to laugh at him but found that she couldn't, not when he looked so damn… good. All her exhaustion and plans of showering alone, flew out the window as he held her bridal style in his arms.

She touched his jaw with the palm of her hand bringing his attention—which had been straight forward on his goal—to her. His dark gaze swept over her face, ever so tenderly…slowly and she fought off the urge to flutter her eyes closed.

"What's going on in that head of yours, Black?" she asked him using her thumb to massage the stubble on his jaw.

"How I'm going to make love to my fiancé until she learns that we do things together." He grinned when her mouth fell open. "Didn't think I knew your shower alone plan huh?" he winked. "You forget all the time that I can feel you, and your face gives everything away beautiful." He leaned his head down to brush his lips across hers.

Leah didn't fight the tingles that seemed to fly throughout her entire body. She wondered if the spark of chemistry between them would ever fade with time or if it would always be this way. She hoped it would always be there, it was their one connection that no one else in the world could say they had. He didn't turn on any of the lights as he walked through the house, not that he needed to, they both could see just fine.

He brushed his lips against hers one more time before he pushed his bedroom door open, walked her over to the made bed and set her down at the edge. "Don't move." At his tone of voice she couldn't deny him even if he had asked her to do something far more ridiculous then to just sit there.

Leah sighed falling out on her back, her arms splayed out on the comforter, looking up at the smooth ceiling above her when she heard the bathroom door close.

She heard the sounds of water, a few muttered curses when he somehow managed to bump into something and him rustling around but she didn't dare sit up. She wondered what he was doing but he had all but commanded her to not move. So instead, she raised up her left arm placing her elbow on her flat stomach, gazing at her beautiful engagement ring that she was falling more in love with each time her eye would catch the glimmer of the large diamond.

It was a fourteen karat princess cut, with an open curved diamond band that sparkled with even the slightest movement. She heard the bathroom door open and only then did she lower her hand propping up on both her elbows so she could see him. He had taken off his shoes and socks, and his burgundy dress shirt was gone leaving the stunning view of his delicious chest, muscled arms, and washboard abs, that led to the clear cut V in his waist. He still had on his slacks hiding a majority of his happy trail and keeping her from making her eye journey down his body. When she lifted her eyes back to his face she noticed the intense expression in his eyes.

He grinned at her offering his hand, she took it and he lifted her up effortlessly into his hard body. "I have a surprise for you."

She could feel his heat searing her back through her dress that tied at her neck as he stood behind her.

"Oh really?" she took a chance turning her head sideways so she was able to look at him. Her nipples immediately pebbled, her breast feeling extremely heavy, when his thumb casually stroked over the clothed material.

"Yes, but I want this off." He tugged at the ties letting the top of her dress pool at her waist.

Leah shivered when his fingers brushed down her arms in an up and down motion. She didn't fight him when he unzipped the side of her dress.

He leaned down to kiss her bare shoulder softly when the blue material fell to a heap on the floor. She now only had her royal blue lace thong on and hardly found it fair that he was still clothed, even if it was only the lower half of his body. But her mouth wasn't working, not when she could feel his heat all the much better without the distraction of her dress.

"That's better." He murmured nudging her ass with his hardness. Even though his cock was still confined in his slacks she moaned at the heat he emitted. "Go in the bathroom," he whispered against her ear nudging her yet again.

Leah took one step forward he was right behind her, his hands moving to her waist. Every step she took he was right there until she pushed the door open with the palm of her hand.

Leah regarded the bathroom: the large tub that could definitely fit more than one person was filled halfway with rose petals and an endless amount of bubbles, there was ten lit unscented candles placed randomly around the room and even in the shower and two champagne glasses filled on the side of the linoleum tub. If she wasn't so distracted by Jake who stood behind her his hands trailing up and down her body and his talented mouth on her neck, she would have been a puddle of goo on the floor.

"Thank you," she said softly sighing turning in his arms so that she could see his face.

"And to think you would have missed out on all of this awesomeness had you tried to shower alone." His hand brushed against her cheek when he moved her hair out of her face.

She looked up at him, not having any comeback, just endless amounts of love. His fingers were curled on the top lace of her thong at her waist pulling them off, his eyes never leaving hers. She moved her hands to his slacks and popped the button and pulled the zipped down in quick succession. He got a bit impatient and kicked them off after they had fallen to his knees. Then she pulled off his boxers, his cock immediately sprang up from its confines, happy to be free.

He easily lifted her before she could even think of placing him in her mouth like she really wanted to. She glanced up at his handsome face. He gazed at her with such earnest longing that she had to catch her breath. It only took one second before their lips met, and the point of contact was stimulating. His kiss was always so demanding, she knew that if he could have swallowed her whole he would have. And she loved that. She found that she wanted everything he had to offer and then some.

He picked her up into his arms holding on to the back of her ass, as she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck and locked her thighs onto him. She could feel the hard length of him under her bottom with every step he took toward the tub, their lips never broke apart and for a moment she thought they might end up falling or knocking something over since they only seemed to be consumed in each other. But when one of his hands moved from her ass, moving lightly over her thighs, toward her heated, wet core every other thought that wasn't him flew out the window.

He stepped into the tub, foam tickling her skin as he lowered them both into the warm water and bubbles. When he moved his hand she whimpered against his lips.

He chuckled, "I'm going to give you what you want Lee, I just want to look at you for a second while we talk." he touched her cheek as she sat on his thighs, his cock was so close yet so far away. But he looked like he had other things on his mind as he reached over and handed her a half full glass of sparkling champagne.

Leah took it in her right hand letting her left hand walk up and down his abs.

"To the future." he grinned.

"To the future," she murmured when their glasses clanked together.

Jake was done with his in one long swallow. Leah allowed the cold, sweet tasting champagne to go down her throat in a few swallows as Jake watched her, his hands rubbing her thighs. Each time his hands would get closer to where she wanted them to be he would move them back down towards her knees starting the torturous motion all over again.

"You know your mom wants us to get married on the Butterfly farm." Leah sighed when he moved one of hands to take her champagne flute along with his own and placed it outside of the tub, on the second to last step.

"I know she told me, what do you think?" he asked lowering his gaze from her eyes to her swollen lips.

"I would... I would...I would l-l-love that." she tried to get out as his finger finally brushed across her clit.

"Good, what else did she ask you?" he asked casually his fingers were relentless.

"To... fuck... to be... her... maid... of honor." she leaned her head back as she tried to breath.

"And what did you say?" he questioned pinching at her clit and rubbing harder with his one hand and lifting his other out the water behind her neck so that he could look at her again.

"Yes," Leah hissed grinding herself onto his hand. As soon as the answer had escaped her throat his lips were attacking her own. His tongue entered her mouth without permission and took hers in his possession. He drank from her mouth as he continued to caress her clit over and over again, just as she was close to coming he removed his hands from her.

She let out a frustrated sigh at the loss of his touch.

"_Relax_. I just want to be inside you." He said stilling her hips when she began to grind herself into his thigh for some sort of friction.

"What about my lurking eggs?" she bit his bottom lip gently referring to what he had said weeks ago. He didn't seem like he was in a rush to get a condom and she couldn't bring herself to care if she could possibly get pregnant from this.

"You're mine for the rest of our life I can deal with a few lurking eggs." He tried to make a joke but his voice came out deep and throaty. "I just want you, all of you. Right now."

Their breaths were the only sounds in the dark, candle lit bathroom as they gazed at one another for several long passionate minutes.

He swooped his head down and when his lips fused to her mark in a intense and wicked manner she nearly lost it. "Come here," he said gruffly.

She lifted herself up using her knees at the bottom of the tub and her hands gripping the smooth outer edge of the bathtub. His hands immediately went to her hips grasping her tightly as she moved her dripping heat near the tip of his cock. Even through the water she could feel his heat just as she was sure he could feel hers.

She lowered herself ever so slowly onto him, both of them groaning when they were completely joined. His mouth found her open lips when he used the grip on her hips to pull himself out of her to the tip before thrusting back in. The water created a wonderful sensation on her clit each time she was lowered back down onto him.

She finally broke away from his scorching kiss when she had to breathe. She closed her eyes letting the sensations rule her as her fingernails scratched down his back.

He groaned as she slightly broke skin. She knew he would heal so she didn't worry too much about hurting him.

"Look at me," he softly demanded.

Her eyes popped opened and met his intense, lust filled gaze. "Everything is so much better when I can see you. When I can see all of you. When I can _feel _you so open for me." He murmured moving his wet hands to her breast and squeezing. Leah fought closing her eyes again as she panted.

Slow and persistent he would thrust in her as she swiveled her hips to ride him in turn. Water was splashing loudly out of the tub, bubbles flew everywhere but it didn't stop their lovemaking session. She cried out when he had hit her spot coming so hard that her breath was almost lost to her the moment she saw stars.

"Breathe babe." His voice was rough as he thrusted into her pulsing slit even harder and deeper holding her shaking body with his strong hands. When she was finally done trembling he moved his hand back to her clit and began to rub in delicious circles until she was swiveling her hips against his thrusts again.

They created a slow, erotic dance together, the water adding more sensations with each movement. Their breaths, moans and groans mingling together in the echo of the candle lit bathroom.

Jake kept up with his withdrawal and thrusting motion. He was moving so slow and lovingly that it brought tears to her eyes. She felt like she was dying slowly and living all at the same time as her second orgasm swirled inside the bottom of her belly just waiting to be released.

She barely had time to scream when another, bigger orgasm shot through her like lightning. The sound that came out of her mouth was a strangled scream.

Jake didn't let her scream stop his genius thrusting. He kept rocking her, rocking in her, faster and harder. More water splashed onto the floor, she was pretty sure by the time they finished that more water would be on the floor than in the tub. But she didn't care, all she cared about was bringing the love of her life the release he needed.

And even though it felt like forever as he continued to thrust and she continued to ride down on his thrusts, it was actually only a few minutes before he had joined her with his own release inside her.

"Leah…" he uttered her name burying his face into the side of her neck.

She pressed her breast into his warm wet chest and laid her head on his shoulder her hands immediately went into his hair that was wet with water and had bubbles all over the place. It took them several moments to get their breathing back to normal him staying inside her all the while.

"Hey," Jake said softly.

"Hi," Leah kept her cheek on his shoulder, the exhaustion coming back to her.

"Did you pick a date love?" he asked rubbing his large warm hands up and down her back.

"June twenty third." she said without second thought.

She heard and felt his intake of breath. "God, I fucking love you," he groaned squeezing her even closer to his body, they were still connected and joined so she felt him when he had hardened inside her all over again.

They both knew that was the date they had competed for the election in college starting up the heated rivalry that had lasted for years. The date would now have a different meaning to the both of them that they would never be able to forget. Leah realized she would have this kind of love with her for the rest of their lives and found that thought did not scare her. She embraced it as much as she welcomed him. Leah knew then without a doubt that sometimes rivals made the best lovers, and she had finally found her paradise in her rival's arms.

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><p><strong>Wow, I'm seriously slacking on my updates lol. Took me a whole month and some days to realize that I had this still incomplete, and when I finally update it happens to be the epilogue. I'm horrible I know, but the story was actually already done, everything else would just be fluff.<br>**

**I actually forgot how much I loved playing with version of Leah and Jake and Mama Sarah. I'll do some outtakes in the future for sure: on the wedding, and a few other things. But as of now this thing is done. Hoped you enjoyed it!**

**Love you guys!**

**Review**


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